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- Researchers seek to determine whether existing Ebola vaccine can reduce severe disease and deaths, with initial results expected in several months
By Beyza Binnur Donmez
GENEVA (AA) - The first four participants in a clinical trial launched in the Democratic Republic of Congo have been vaccinated to assess whether an existing Ebola vaccine can reduce severe illness and deaths caused by the Bundibugyo virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Tuesday.
WHO Director of Science for Health Meg Doherty told reporters in Geneva that the trial, named TUMAINI, meaning "hope" in Swahili, began Friday.
The first vaccine being evaluated is Ervebo, which is known to be safe and effective against Ebola caused by the Zaire virus. Its effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus disease remains unknown.
Doherty clarified that researchers are examining whether the vaccine reduces severe disease or death, rather than whether it prevents infection.
The trial uses a ring-vaccination approach involving people who have been in close contact with confirmed Ebola patients or otherwise exposed to the virus.
Two vaccination rings have already been established, with several more being prepared. Eligible participants can be vaccinated between one and 21 days after exposure, although researchers do not yet know whether the timing affects outcomes.
"We do not yet know for certain when results will begin to emerge. We expect it will take several months," Doherty said.
The trial is led by Congolese researchers and managed by the country's National Institute for Biomedical Research, with support from WHO and international partners.
Designed as a platform trial, TUMAINI can evaluate multiple vaccine candidates within a single research framework.
WHO advisory groups also reviewed two vaccines developed specifically against the Bundibugyo virus last week: ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford with the Serum Institute of India, and Moderna's mRNA-1469.
Recommendations on those vaccines are expected this week, according to the science director.
Doherty said community members were already approaching the trial site seeking to enroll, underscoring the urgent need for an effective vaccine.
The trial builds on the ring-vaccination strategy used during the West African Ebola outbreak a decade ago, which helped establish Ervebo's effectiveness against the Zaire virus.
Beyza Binnur Dönmez
