WHO adds two new Ebola vaccine candidates to DRC trial

The World Health Organization said two new Ebola vaccine candidates will be incorporated into the Tumaini trial in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The addition follows a recommendation from the WHO’s independent Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccines Prioritization.

The candidates are ChAdOx1, co-developed by the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, and mRNA-1469, created by Moderna. Both have received national approvals and will be tested alongside the existing Ervebo vaccine, which targets the Zaire strain of Ebola.

The Tumaini trial, launched on 23 October in Bunia, Ituri province, uses a ring-vaccination strategy that vaccinates contacts of confirmed Bundibugyo Ebola cases. Four vaccination rings are already operating, with more planned as the outbreak, the largest in the country’s history, continues.

"The fact that these vaccines are ready to enter clinical trials is a testament to the power of science and partnership," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, adding that vaccines alone will not end the outbreak but could become a powerful new tool for control.

As of 1 November, the outbreak has recorded more than 10,500 confirmed cases and 5,126 deaths. Research into additional treatments is also progressing.