Raging outbreak

CEPI will also provide $3.2 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, which is developing a vaccine that uses the same technology as Merck’s approved Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, which targets the more common Zaire ebolavirus strain.

Last, the CEPI is committing $8.6 million to the University of Oxford and Serum Institute of India, which is using its adenovirus-based vaccine platform, as it did for its COVID-19 vaccine during the pandemic.

There are two licensed vaccines against Ebola disease currently, including Ervebo and Zabdeno/Mvabea by Johnson & Johnson. Both vaccines target the Zaire strain, which has caused most of the large outbreaks to date, followed by the Sudan strain. The current outbreak is only the third driven by the Bundibugyo strain. As such, there are currently no licensed therapeutics or vaccines against it.

The lack of medical interventions is one of the challenges facing health officials responding to the outbreak. Detection of the outbreak was delayed, allowing the virus to spread out of control. Disease is also spreading in an area of DRC with armed conflict, large population mobility, and significant need for humanitarian assistance.

As of Friday, the World Health Organization reported 1,041 cases (135 confirmed, 906 suspected) and 241 deaths (18 confirmed, 223 suspected) in the outbreak.