Three new vaccines are currently in development to combat the rare strain of the Ebola virus that is devastating Central Africa, as scientists race to contain the worst outbreak on record. Experts have warned that the spread, caused by the Bundibugyo strain, could surpass the 2014-2016 outbreak, which claimed more than 11,000 lives.
There are now over 1,000 suspected cases of Ebola in the current outbreak, with more than 250 deaths recorded. Most cases have been reported in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with some also found in neighbouring Uganda. However, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has cautioned that the true scale of the outbreak may be far greater, prompting global health officials to remain on high alert.
Suspected cases have emerged in Brazil, Italy, and Austria in recent weeks, following the outbreak's onset in the DRC last month, but tests have so far returned negative. Nevertheless, particular concern surrounds the Bundibugyo strain, which kills up to 50 per cent of those it infects, as there is currently no licensed vaccine. Three vaccines are now in development as scientists aim to prevent a catastrophic spread.
Urgent Vaccine Development
The International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which is working on one of the vaccines, has warned that the outbreak threatens to become the worst ever, potentially surpassing the infamous 2014-2016 epidemic. Dr Mark Feinberg, head of IAVI, stated: 'I think this is clearly threatening to be as severe an outbreak as that, if not even worse, and development of a vaccine, and other countermeasures, is clearly a priority.'
Scientists at the University of Oxford and Moderna, the company behind a COVID-19 vaccine, are also racing to create a vaccine. Oxford University has cautioned that it may take two to three months before their vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain can be tested on humans, meaning it is unlikely that patients in Africa will receive the drug within the next six months.
Currently, only one of the six Ebola strains has a vaccine, developed for the most common species, Zaire, which caused the 2014-2016 outbreak. IAVI is working on a modified version of the Zaire vaccine to combat the Bundibugyo species, which provided nearly 100 per cent protection in monkey trials. However, Dr Feinberg estimates it could take up to nine months for the vaccine to be ready for clinical trials, by which time the virus could have claimed thousands more lives.
Moderna will employ the same technology used during the COVID-19 pandemic to rapidly develop a vaccine. The company's chief executive, Stephane Bancel, said: 'We will move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most.'
Different Vaccine Technologies
All three vaccines aim to teach the immune system to detect Bundibugyo, but they will use different methods. IAVI's vaccine uses a harmless virus modified to carry the Ebola protein, prompting the immune system to attack it while learning to recognise Ebola. The Moderna and Oxford vaccines deliver genetic instructions into the body, instructing cells to produce the Ebola protein, which the immune system then identifies as foreign and attacks. In all cases, the goal is to prepare the immune system to respond faster and more effectively upon exposure to Ebola. Because the vaccines use different technologies, they may provide varying levels of protection or require different numbers of doses; clinical trials will determine their efficacy.
Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), which is funding early-stage vaccine research, said: 'With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease.' Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, added: 'A Bundibugyo vaccine could help to control this epidemic and strengthen preparedness for future outbreaks.'
Alarming Spread and Response
Humanitarian aid charity Doctors Without Borders has described the Ebola outbreak as 'deeply alarming'. The charity's deputy director, Dr Alan Gonzales, said on Saturday that 'so many cases' of the virus had never before been recorded so quickly. He continued: 'Two weeks after the declaration of the Ebola disease outbreak in Ituri Province, the situation is deeply alarming. Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration.' He noted that his teams were 'witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic' and warned that 'the reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak.' He added: 'New suspected cases are being reported daily, yet hundreds of samples remain untested.'
Dr Gonzales's comments followed Dr Ghebreyesus's visit to Bunia, the eastern DRC city where most cases and deaths have occurred. Dr Ghebreyesus stated that while there is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain yet, there is hope that the virus can be treated with good medical care. The WHO also announced that four nurses treated for Ebola in Bunia had recovered and been discharged from hospital. Dr Ghebreyesus called on countries that have imposed travel bans on patients from infected regions to reconsider, adding: 'These measures make the response harder, and they discourage transparency and trust that saves lives.'
DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said the country aims to contain and end the outbreak within 'four to six months' in the 'best case scenario'. Symptoms of the Bundibugyo strain are similar to other Ebola variants, including flu-like fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhoea. In many cases, this progresses to internal bleeding, organ failure, and death. Patients can carry the virus for up to 21 days before symptoms appear, which is when they are believed to become infectious. A successful vaccine would likely protect patients from severe illness and death and limit the virus's spread, but there is no guarantee it will be effective.
Community Unrest and Global Preparedness
The present epidemic is one of the fastest spreading since the 2014 outbreak, which was linked to more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths across West Africa. There has been widespread disarray in affected nations, with locals protesting against how the outbreak is being handled. Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital in the DRC has come under attack from people seeking to bury the bodies of friends and family who died from Ebola, according to the hospital's medical director, Dr Richard Lokodu. As burials are highly contagious, they are conducted by medical teams. Some factions in the region believe Ebola is a hoax and confront Red Cross volunteers.
In recent days, riots have also erupted in the town of Nanyuki in Kenya after the US announced it would quarantine its citizens with Ebola there. Protestors have lit massive bonfires and demonstrated against the decision, with some holding signs saying 'Say no to Ebola in Nanyuki'. Meanwhile, others in local communities have used megaphones to encourage residents to follow official health guidance. All flights to and from Bunia have been grounded, but experts believe the virus may have already spread to other nearby nations, such as South Sudan.
British health officials have activated a Returning Workers Scheme, where healthcare workers returning from Ebola outbreak regions are monitored for signs of the disease once back in the UK. However, experts have warned that the UK is unprepared for the Ebola outbreak and argue that the population may be at risk. Dr Derek Sloan, an expert in infectious diseases at St Andrew's University, said: 'This outbreak, along with the recent Hantavirus cases on a cruise ship and meningitis infections in the UK, shows how important it is that we stay vigilant and use effective public health tools to protect our populations. Infectious disease outbreaks such as these in our interconnected world cannot be dismissed as someone else's problem. These examples show how important it is to maintain this expertise and underline the need to preserve funding for global health and international aid.'
