Democratic Republic of the Congo Launches Clinical Trials and Vaccinations to Combat Historic Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak

Democratic Republic of the Congo Launches Clinical Trials and Vaccinations to Combat Historic Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is currently battling the largest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in its history, driven by the Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BVD). As of August 26, 2026, the World Health Organization (WHO) has documented 5,794 confirmed cases and 2,786 deaths in the DRC, representing a crude case fatality ratio (CFR) of 48.1%. The outbreak has spread to 60 health zones across six provinces, with Ituri remaining the epicenter. On August 18, 2026, the WHO Emergency Committee convened and maintained the outbreak's status as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

In response to the crisis, health authorities have launched unprecedented clinical trials for both vaccines and therapeutics, while international coalitions have accelerated the development of new candidate vaccines.¹

Launch of the Ervebo Vaccine Campaign

On August 27, 2026, the DRC Ministry of Health, in coordination with the WHO, initiated a vaccination campaign targeting healthcare workers. The campaign utilizes Ervebo, the world's only licensed Ebola vaccine, which was originally developed and approved for the Zaire ebolavirus strain.

"On 27 August, vaccination of health care workers using the Ervebo vaccine was initiated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in some areas, including in Kisangani, Tshopo province. Although Ervebo is a safe vaccine, and effective against Ebola virus disease, it is not known whether it provides protection against the Bundibugyo virus in humans. Thus, starting a clinical trial of the vaccine, alongside this wider use, is key to provide important new evidence and inform future use of the vaccine." — World Health Organization, Disease Outbreak News (August 28, 2026)

Because Ervebo's efficacy against the Bundibugyo strain has not been established in humans, this rollout is being conducted as a clinical trial to gather critical data on cross-protective immunity.

CEPI Funding for Egyptian Biotech Minapharm

To build a long-term, strain-specific defense, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced a major funding agreement on August 27, 2026, to advance a fifth Bundibugyo-specific vaccine candidate.

"Leading African biopharmaceutical company Minapharm Group, headquartered in Egypt with subsidiaries in Berlin, will receive up to US$16.5 million from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to advance the development of a Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate, strengthening efforts to develop vaccines to combat the fastest-growing and second-largest Ebola outbreak on record affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)." — Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Press Release (August 27, 2026)

Minapharm’s vaccine candidate was designed by its Berlin-based subsidiary, ProBioGen, using its proprietary modified vaccinia Ankara (MVA) vaccine platform, MVA-CR19. This candidate is unique as the only vaccine in CEPI's portfolio designed to elicit both robust B-cell (antibody) and T-cell immune responses. The $16.5 million in funding will move the candidate through preclinical development and into Phase I human clinical trials in Africa.

Ongoing Therapeutic Evaluation (PARTNERS Trial)

In parallel to vaccine efforts, the WHO is sponsoring the PARTNERS trial, a randomized clinical evaluation aimed at identifying effective antiviral treatments against the Bundibugyo virus. The trial began enrolling patients on July 2, 2026, and is currently active in three clinical management facilities in Ituri province, having already enrolled more than 250 confirmed cases.