# Ebola Vaccine Trial for Bundibugyo Strain Begins in DR Congo

> The 'Tumaini' clinical trial, a Phase 2/3 study for Bundibugyo Ebola vaccine candidates, launched in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo, with its first participant vaccinated.

By PrimaryBrief newsroom · Published 2026-10-24T01:06:21.011622Z
Canonical: https://primarybrief.com/article/ebola-vaccine-trial-for-bundibugyo-strain-begins-in-dr-congo-4d90b858

On October 23, 2026, the 'Tumaini' clinical trial, designed to test Ebola vaccine candidates against the Bundibugyo strain, officially began in Bunia, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), with the vaccination of its first participant, amidst an outbreak that has now claimed over 4,600 lives [5][6][7]. This trial marks a critical step in addressing the current Ebola crisis, for which no approved vaccine specifically targets the Bundibugyo strain, offering hope for affected communities and strengthening preparedness for future outbreaks [4][7][13].

## What the records show

The 'Tumaini' trial, a name meaning "hope" in Swahili, is a Phase 2/3 clinical trial focused on assessing the safety, immune responses, and effectiveness of several vaccine candidates against the Bundibugyo virus [7][9]. The initial vaccine to enter the trial is Ervebo, which is currently licensed for use against the Zaire strain of Ebola. However, Ervebo's effectiveness against the Bundibugyo virus remains unproven [5][7]. Two additional vaccine candidates, specifically developed to target the Bundibugyo virus, are expected to join the trial in the near future. One of these candidates is being developed by Moderna, while the other is a collaborative effort between the University of Oxford and the Serum Institute of India [1][7][8].

The Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in the DRC and the University of Antwerp's Global Health Institute are co-leading and co-sponsoring the trial, with national leadership and oversight provided by the Congolese Ministry of Health [1][9]. The World Health Organization (WHO) is contributing technical and scientific advice, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) is supplying funding and operational expertise [1][9]. The WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has described 'Tumaini' as a unified trial framework capable of testing multiple vaccines [2][3][8]. The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC has recorded over 9,700 cases and more than 4,600 deaths as of October 23, 2026 [5][6].

## The timeline

Early infections for the current Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak are believed to have occurred in January or February 2026 in the town of Mongbwalu [12]. On May 15, 2026, the DRC Ministry of Health officially confirmed an outbreak in Ituri Province [11]. The following day, May 16, 2026, the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) [12]. In August 2026, Moderna's mRNA-1469 vaccine candidate for the Bundibugyo virus entered Phase I trials in Canada [15][16][17]. By October 14, 2026, WHO experts indicated that the first clinical trial for an Ebola vaccine in the DRC was anticipated to commence before the end of the month [3]. The WHO announced the dedicated 'Tumaini' clinical trial platform for Bundibugyo vaccines on October 16, 2026 [2]. The trial officially began in Bunia, DRC, on October 23, 2026, with the first participant receiving vaccination [5][7][9].

## What changed and for whom

The initiation of the 'Tumaini' trial represents the first concrete step towards developing a specifically approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a strain for which no vaccine currently exists [7][13]. The trial's adaptive platform design allows for the concurrent evaluation of multiple vaccine candidates. This approach could potentially accelerate the development of effective vaccines for communities affected by the current outbreak and aid in preparedness for future public health crises [7][8]. For the population of the DRC, particularly those in the heavily impacted Ituri Province, the trial introduces a significant measure of hope for protection against the deadly virus [7][9].

## What the subject has said publicly

Professor Steve Ahuka-Mundeke, Incident Manager of the Ebola Response in the DRC, stated, “Bringing this trial into the Ebola response is an important step towards addressing the urgent needs of affected communities” [4]. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commented on X, “Science gives us hope. Today, in Bunia, DRC, the first participants were vaccinated in a new Ebola vaccine trial called Tumaini, which means 'hope' in Swahili” [5]. He added that the trial “will help us understand whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work” [5]. Anthony Scott, chair of the WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (SAGE), remarked that the 'Tumaini' trial “will generate urgently-needed data on the efficacy of Ervebo against Bundibugyo virus disease, and will help formulate the policy decisions we need” [3]. He also welcomed “the accelerated development of vaccines that are specifically targeting Bundibugyo” [3]. Chikwe Ihekweazu, executive director of the World Health Organization's Health Emergencies Program, stated, “The launch of the Tumaini trial marks a critical step towards establishing whether candidate vaccines can effectively protect people against the Bundibugyo virus” [7].

## What we could not confirm

We could not confirm the exact number of participants currently enrolled in the 'Tumaini' trial. The precise start date for the inclusion of the Moderna and Oxford/Serum Institute of India Bundibugyo-specific vaccine candidates in the 'Tumaini' trial could not be confirmed. The specific locations within Bunia where the trial is being conducted were also not specified in the available records.

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