Oxford Vaccinates First Volunteer Against Ebola Strain With No Approved Shot
Oxford scientists have vaccinated the first clinical trial volunteer against the Bundibugyo Ebola strain, which has no approved vaccine or treatment. The trial comes as confirmed cases in Congo have more than doubled since late June, with the outbreak now doubling in size roughly
The University of Oxford has vaccinated its first clinical trial volunteer against Bundibugyo ebolavirus, the rare strain with no licensed vaccine driving the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record in eastern Congo. The ChAdOx1 candidate uses the same viral vector platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid vaccine, with around 620,000 doses already manufactured for the phase one safety trial. Separately, CEPI and Merck $MRK are funding a second candidate vaccine built on the platform behind Merck's licensed Ervebo shot, and a third, an mRNA vaccine from Moderna $MRNA, enters trials next month. Confirmed cases in Congo climbed to 3,360 by July 27, up from 1,406 at the end of June, and the death toll nearly doubled in two weeks to 1,487, with the UN's senior Ebola coordinator saying the epidemic is doubling roughly every 20 days, faster than the international response.