DR Congo begins Bundibugyo virus vaccine trials — Premium Times Nigeria
In the city of Bunia in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, a clinical trial of vaccines against the Bundibugyo virus, which belongs to the group of pathogens causing Ebola virus disease, has begun. The first study participants received the vaccine on October 23, Premium Times Nigeria reports, citing the World Health Organization.
The Tumaini study
The trial is called Tumaini, which means “hope” in Swahili. It is a Phase II/III clinical study designed to collect data on the safety of the products, the immune response, and their effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus.
The study will test the Ervebo vaccine, licensed for the prevention of disease caused by Zaire ebolavirus. Its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus in humans has not yet been established. The trial is also planned to include two products specifically developed against this virus: one by Moderna and another by the University of Oxford in collaboration with the Serum Institute of India.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
Scale of the outbreak
According to organizations supporting the study, as of October 21, 9,552 cases of infection and 4,602 deaths had been confirmed in the DR Congo. The report notes that this is the largest recorded outbreak of the Bundibugyo virus in the country.
The study will have an adaptive design, allowing several vaccines to be assessed under one clinical protocol. Ring vaccination will also be used, primarily for people who had contact with confirmed patients and other individuals at high risk of infection.
The trial is co-led and sponsored by the National Institute of Biomedical Research of the DR Congo and the Institute of Tropical Medicine at the University of Antwerp. The DR Congo Ministry of Health provides national leadership, the WHO provides scientific and technical support, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations funds and supports the study. The start of the trial does not mean that any of the vaccines has already proven effective against the Bundibugyo virus.
