The first clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine in the outbreak gripping the Democratic Republic of Congo began Friday (October 23, 2026), the head of the World Health Organisation said.
“Science gives us hope. The so-called Tumaini trial is a single trial framework that can test the safety, efficacy and immunogenicity of multiple vaccines. Today, in Bunia DRC, the first participants were vaccinated in a new Ebola vaccine trial called Tumaini, which means ‘hope’ in Swahili,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
“This trial will help us understand whether any of the vaccine candidates designed for Bundibugyo virus work,” he said, adding that in the meantime, the existing Ervebo vaccine would be tested. “Tumaini will work closely with affected communities, health authorities and outbreak response partners to generate robust evidence on vaccine performance that could contribute to curtailing the epidemic, saving lives, and strengthening preparedness for future Bundibugyo outbreaks,” said CEPI. “If successful, this would be the first time we have clear evidence of vaccine efficacy against Bundibugyo virus — a major advance that could transform how we respond to this outbreak and prepare for future outbreaks and help save lives,” he said.
Ervebo, a vaccine approved for use against the more common Zaire strain of Ebola, will be put through a full-scale human trial in the DRC to see if it offers any cross-protection against Bundibugyo. The trial will use a ring vaccination approach: immunising contacts deemed to be at high risk of infection.
