Ebola Vaccine Trial Begins in DRC’s Ituri Province

A clinical trial evaluating candidate vaccines against Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus has begun in Bunia, in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ituri Province.

The TUMAiNi trial will involve contacts of confirmed Ebola cases. It is led by the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), with technical, scientific and logistical support from the World Health Organization.

Trial launched amid reported outbreak pressure

The study began on Saturday as the Democratic Republic of Congo faces what a source report described as the deadliest and fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in the country’s history. The outbreak was declared in mid-May, and the report said more than 9,000 cases had since been confirmed in the DRC.

Major General Kasongo Gaby, governor of Ituri Province, described the launch as an important development in the response.

“This event is of particular importance. It reflects our shared determination not to passively accept health threats, but to mobilise all available resources,” Gaby said.

The trial is focused on Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus. The information available does not identify the candidate vaccines, specify the study’s duration or provide an enrollment target.

Regional Ebola cases reported

The source report said Kenya had recorded nine Ebola cases and that Nigeria confirmed its first case during the week referenced. Uganda was declared Ebola-free in August after reporting 20 cases.

The TUMAiNi study is intended to evaluate the candidate vaccines among people who have had contact with confirmed cases. No vaccine efficacy or safety results were reported at the time of the trial’s launch.