Health officials launch Ebola vaccine trial in Uganda after outbreak
Key takeaways:
- Health officials have launched the first trial for Sudan ebolavirus in Uganda.
- Uganda is currently facing an outbreak of Sudan ebolavirus during which seven cases and one death have been confirmed.
WHO and the Uganda Health Ministry have launched a first-ever vaccine trial for the species of Ebola at the center of an ongoing outbreak in Uganda’s capital city.
Health officials launched the recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus candidate trial in Uganda this week, days after health officials declared an outbreak in the country’s capital city, Kampala.
The first 2,160 doses of the vaccine candidate and treatments were prepositioned in Kampala as part of outbreak preparedness and WHO has already signed an agreement for additional doses to be made available in the near future, the agency said.
WHO said this marks the first trial to assess the clinical efficacy of a vaccine against Sudan ebolavirus. Unlike the Zaire species of the virus, there are no licensed vaccines for Sudan ebolavirus, which has had a case fatality rate varying from 41% to 100% in past outbreaks.
“This is a critical achievement toward better pandemic preparedness, and saving lives when outbreaks occur,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, PhD, MSc, said in a press release.
“This is possible because of the dedication of Uganda’s health workers, the involvement of communities, the Ministry of Health of Uganda, Makerere University and Uganda Virus Research Institute, and research efforts led by WHO involving hundreds of scientists through our research and development Filoviruses network,” he said.
To date, seven cases have been confirmed and — a male health worker who has since died, according to the European CDC and WHO. Ring vaccination is being used in the current outbreak. with the first ring targeting approximately 40 contacts and contacts of contacts of the confirmed case, WHO said.
The last Ebola outbreak in Uganda was also caused by Sudan ebolavirus and marked the first outbreak of the species in Uganda in over a decade. During the outbreak, officials developed a randomized protocol for candidate vaccines. WHO said this contributed to the quick launch of the current trial.
References:
- European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. Communicable disease threats report, 1-7 February 2025, week 6. https://www.ecdc.europa.eu/en/publications-data/communicable-disease-threats-report-1-7-february-2025-week-6. Published Feb. 7, 2025. Accessed Feb. 8, 2025.
- Groundbreaking Ebola vaccination trial launches today in Uganda. https://www.who.int/news/item/03-02-2025-groundbreaking-ebola-vaccination-trial-launches-today-in-uganda. Published Feb. 3, 2025. Accessed Feb. 4, 2025.
- WHO and partners enable access to candidate vaccine and treatments for outbreak of Sudan Ebola virus disease in Uganda. https://www.who.int/news/item/31-01-2025-who-and-partners-enable-access-to-candidate-vaccine-and-treatments-for-outbreak-of-sudan-ebola-virus-disease-in-uganda. Published Jan. 31, 2025. Accessed Feb. 4, 2025.
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