International health experts led by the World Health Organization are convening urgent discussions to explore vaccine options against the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola following a growing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. The emergency consultations come after WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, as reported by Reuters.
Health authorities said the outbreak has already resulted in more than 80 suspected deaths and hundreds of suspected cases, primarily in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, with confirmed cross-border infections reported in Uganda. Experts are now assessing whether existing Ebola vaccines developed for the Zaire strain, including Merck’s Ervebo vaccine, could provide partial protection against the Bundibugyo variant.
The Bundibugyo strain, first identified in Uganda in 2007, is considered rarer than the more common Zaire Ebola strain and currently has no approved vaccine or targeted treatment. According to WHO and infectious disease specialists, the virus has a fatality rate estimated between 30% and 40%, with symptoms including fever, vomiting, severe weakness, and internal bleeding.
Health experts say rapid vaccine research, stronger surveillance, contact tracing, and cross-border coordination will be critical to containing the outbreak. Officials also warned that delayed detection caused by flawed diagnostic testing and weak healthcare infrastructure may have allowed the virus to spread undetected for several weeks before confirmation.
