Oxford University scientists are working on a vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which caused two previous outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The vaccine uses the same technology as the Covid-19 jab and hopes to be available in two to three months if needed.
Oxford University scientists are developing an Ebola vaccine that could help tackle a deadly outbreak of the disease within months. The rare species of Ebola currently spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo - known as Bundibugyo - kills 30 to 50 percent of those infected but there is no proven jab.
The outbreak has so far resulted in 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths. The Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) is now using the same technology that underpinned its Covid-19 jab to develop one specific to Bundibugyo. The species has only caused two previous outbreaks, one in Uganda in 2007 and one in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2012, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.
The WHO today upgraded the risk of the current outbreak in the DRC from ‘high’ to ‘very high’ as the virus is ‘spreading rapidly’ in the country. The risk in the wider region is also now considered to be high but it remains low internationally, it said. The reassessment comes after the UN health agency declared a public health emergency of international concern on Sunday, when it stressed that the outbreak was not a pandemic. A Congolese police personnel stands guard..
Ebola Vaccine Bundibugyo Covid-19 Jab Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG) World Health Organisation (WHO) Antibody Chadox1 Gene Therapy Vaccine
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