WHO Experts Recommend Two New Ebola Vaccines For Trial in DR Congo as Death Toll Surpasses 5,000

Two new vaccines made specifically for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola have been recommended for the ongoing vaccine trial in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) by experts convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) on 4 November 2026.

Both will enter the trial following national approvals.

The outbreak has killed more than 5,000 people in the DRC.

The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) counted 5,126 confirmed deaths in the country as of 1 November.

The two vaccines chosen

The recommendation came from WHO's independent Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccines Prioritization, a panel of outside experts that helps decide which experimental vaccines should be tested first.

The panel recommended both vaccines for further testing in people this week, based on the early evidence available from laboratory studies and early studies in people.

The first is ChAdOx1, developed by the University of Oxford together with the Serum Institute of India.

The second is mRNA-1469, made by the company Moderna.

WHO said the companies were informed on Monday 2 November, and that the vaccines will enter the trial once national approvals come through.

WHO said this is the first time vaccines designed specifically for Bundibugyo virus, the virus behind the current outbreak, will be tested during an outbreak of the disease.

How the trial finds out if a vaccine works

The trial, called Tumaini, is designed to test several vaccines at once within a single study.

It works by offering the vaccine to people who were in close contact with someone confirmed to have Bundibugyo disease, and then watching how well it protects them.

WHO said four groups of contacts are already in place and several more are being prepared.

They include contacts of people who became ill or died from Ebola.

The method builds on an approach pioneered by WHO and its partners during the West Africa Ebola outbreak a decade ago.

A landmark trial in Guinea then proved that a vaccine called Ervebo works against Ebola virus, also known as Zaire ebolavirus.

Ervebo is the first vaccine in a Tumaini trial to be tested for how well it protects against Bundibugyo virus.

Who is running it

The trial is led by the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale, the DRC's national public health and research institute.

It is supported by the University of Antwerp in Belgium, WHO, Epicentre, Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders), the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Antwerp and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

WHO said investments by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations made the rapid development of the candidate vaccines possible.

WHO is supporting research during the outbreak through its R&D Blueprint and Health Emergencies Programme.

This includes writing research plans, giving expert advice, coordinating partners and providing practical support so that the studies are carried out carefully and ethically.

Medicines are being tested too

The WHO-sponsored PARTNERS trial, launched in July, is testing whether a lab-made antibody medicine called MBP134, an antiviral medicine called remdesivir, or both together can help patients with confirmed Bundibugyo disease survive.

Another medicine, maftivimab, will soon be added to the trial.

A separate study is testing whether a medicine called obeldevisir can protect people after they have been exposed to the virus.

What to expect next

WHO expects first findings from the treatment trials in the coming months, and results from the vaccine trial in early 2027.

"The fact that these vaccines are ready to enter clinical trials is a testament to the power of science and partnership," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

He thanked the scientists, health workers and partners in the DRC and around the world, and especially the people taking part in the trial, whose participation will generate vital evidence that could help save lives.

"Vaccines alone will not end this outbreak," Dr Tedros said, "but they could become a powerful new tool for bringing it under control."