- A second experimental vaccine targeting the same Ebola strain is also under development
- The Oxford team is using its established ChAdOx1 platform technology, previously deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic
- Health experts emphasise that Ebola vaccines are not typically deployed widely like COVID-19 vaccines
Scientists at the University of Oxford are fast-tracking the development of an experimental vaccine that could enter clinical trials within two to three months as efforts intensify to contain a growing Ebola outbreak in Central Africa.
Eko Hot Blog gathered that the outbreak, centred in the Democratic Republic of Congo, has recorded about 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths, according to health officials.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) has since raised the risk level in the country from “high” to “very high,” while maintaining that the global risk remains low.
The current outbreak is caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, a form for which no licensed vaccine currently exists. Health experts estimate that the strain kills roughly one in three infected persons.
Although the candidate vaccine is still at an early stage and its effectiveness has not yet been confirmed, researchers say development is being accelerated in anticipation of a possible escalation of the outbreak.
The WHO has already declared the situation a public health emergency of international concern, while clarifying that it does not yet amount to a pandemic.
A second experimental vaccine targeting the same Ebola strain is also under development, but it may take up to nine months before it is ready for human testing.
The Oxford team is using its established ChAdOx1 platform technology, previously deployed during the COVID-19 pandemic, to design the new vaccine.
The method relies on a modified chimpanzee cold virus that has been engineered to safely carry genetic instructions from the Ebola virus into the body, training the immune system to recognise and fight the infection without causing illness.
Researchers say animal testing is currently underway, a critical step before regulatory approval for human trials can be granted. The outcome will determine whether the vaccine can proceed as a viable candidate.
Production plans are also being considered, with the Serum Institute of India positioned to manufacture the vaccine at scale once sufficient clinical-grade material becomes available.
Health experts emphasise that Ebola vaccines are not typically deployed widely like COVID-19 vaccines.
Instead, they are used through a targeted “ring vaccination” approach, where only close contacts of confirmed cases and frontline health workers are immunised to contain the spread.
The Bundibugyo strain is particularly concerning because it is rare and has been linked to only a few documented outbreaks, previously recorded in Uganda in 2007 and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 2012.
With no established vaccine for this variant, researchers say speed remains critical as health agencies work to prevent further escalation while contact tracing and containment efforts continue.
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