Hope, tested in Bunia: the first vaccine trial inside Congo's Ebola outbreak

In Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ituri province, the first volunteers have rolled up their sleeves for Tumaini — a clinical trial whose name means 'hope' in Swahili. Supported by the World Health Organization and led by Congolese researchers, the trial will test whether the approved Ervebo vaccine also protects against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, for which no vaccine has ever been proven, with two purpose-built candidates from Oxford and Moderna to follow. The ring-vaccination design targets the contacts of confirmed cases — the people at highest risk — and, unusually, includes pregnant women and children from age 12. WHO emergencies director Chikwe Ihekweazu said success would be the first clear evidence of a vaccine working against this strain.

SDG 3 · Good health and well-being — Mechanism: institutional program