CEPI Awards $60 Million for Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccines as DRC, Uganda Outbreaks Spread
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Jun 4
CEPI Awards $60 Million for Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccines as DRC, Uganda Outbreaks Spread
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Jun 4
Summary
$60 million in emergency funding has been awarded to three developers as health agencies scramble to counter Bundibugyo Ebola, which currently has no approved vaccine or treatment.
CEPI said the money will speed vaccine work led by IAVI, Oxford University with Serum Institute of India, and Moderna, with Oxford targeting trials in two to three months and IAVI in seven to nine months.
Up to $50 million of the package is earmarked for Moderna’s mRNA candidate, while WHO has called IAVI’s rVSV shot the most promising and is seeking more animal data on Oxford’s candidate.
Three existing drugs—MBP134, maftivimab and remdesivir—are also being lined up for trials, and doctors plan the first Ebola outbreak test of a prevention pill, obdeldesivir, for contacts of cases.
Conflict in eastern DRC remains a major obstacle: militia activity, attacks on treatment centres and mass displacement have complicated trial setup, even as researchers say they are ready once conditions allow.
With militias attacking health centers, can new vaccines win a race that basic security is already losing?
The world knew of this Ebola strain for years, so why was there no vaccine ready?
2026 Bundibugyo Ebola Crisis: Rapid Spread, Vaccine Gaps, and the Global Response Challenge
Overview
The 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak is rapidly unfolding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in cities like Bunia, and is caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The disease is spreading beyond the DRC, with cases now in Uganda and even reaching Kinshasa, raising serious regional concerns. Urban areas and mining activities are making it easier for the virus to spread quickly, while frequent movement of people between affected regions and neighboring countries increases the risk. Vulnerable groups, such as women who are often caregivers and displaced communities, are especially at risk, highlighting the urgent need for coordinated action.