Doctors in eastern Congo have started testing what the world still lacks: a vaccine against the Bundibugyo virus, the Ebola species behind the country’s current epidemic. The first volunteer received a dose in Bunia on October 23, opening a study called Tumaini, the Swahili word for hope.
The need is stark. Congo is going through the largest Bundibugyo outbreak on record and the second-biggest Ebola outbreak of any kind. Since the outbreak was declared on May 15, officials have counted 9,552 confirmed infections, and by October 21 the virus had killed 4,602 people. Geneva has rated it an emergency of worldwide concern since the spring.
No licensed shot exists for this strain. The trial therefore opens with Ervebo, which is approved against the better-known Zaire ebolavirus, to see whether its protection carries over. Two vaccines designed specifically for Bundibugyo should follow soon, one from Moderna and one from the University of Oxford working with the Serum Institute of India; both are funded by the vaccine coalition CEPI.
Rather than vaccinating whole populations, the team uses ring vaccination: shots go to the contacts of confirmed patients, the people most likely to be infected next. Because several candidates can be tested side by side under one protocol, the design saves weeks that matter in a fast-moving outbreak. The trial registry lists a target of about 3,620 participants and a planned finish in June 2027.
Congo’s national biomedical research institute INRB leads the study together with Belgium’s University of Antwerp, with support from the WHO, Africa CDC, Doctors Without Borders and Antwerp’s Institute of Tropical Medicine. For lead investigator Hugo Kavunga, the first jab is a milestone built on the work of Congolese scientists and health workers.
