WHO to trial new SVD Ebola vaccine
The trial will be conducted as part of the WHO’s response to a new outbreak of Ebola in Uganda announced on 30 January
The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced trials of a new Ebola vaccine that is effective against the Sudan species of Ebola.
The trial is being conducted in Uganda in partnership with the Ugandan Ministry of Health and principle investigators from Makerere University and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI).
The recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) candidate vaccine was donated by IAVI, a nonprofit that focuses on developing vaccines and antibodies. It was recommended by the WHO’s independent candidate vaccine prioritization working group.
The vaccine will be tested through a randomised vaccine trial being co-sponsored by the WHO. Other institutions sponsoring the trial include the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), and the European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), with support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).
The trial will be comprised of three vaccination rings. The first ring will involve about 40 contacts of the first reported and confirmed case of SVD – a health worker who has died – as well as the contacts of those contacts.
A new outbreak of SVD Ebola
The trial comes shortly after the Ugandan government declared an outbreak of the Sudan Virus Disease (SVD) version of Ebola on 30 January 2025, following confirmation from three national reference laboratories.
If the candidate vaccine is effective, it will contribute to controlling this Uganda, and will generate data for vaccine licensure.
Uganda’s previous SVD outbreak, which occurred in 2022, led to the launch of a randomised protocol for candidate vaccines in preparation for this trial.
The WHO stated that “although several promising candidate medical countermeasures are progressing through clinical development, as of now, there is no licensed vaccine available” to combat SVD Ebola.
US President Donald Trump announced plans to withdraw his country from the WHO last month.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor for Voyageur Group, joining in 2021. He writes for both ITIJ and AirMed&Rescue, covering a range of topics including international travel and health insurance, medical assistance provision and air medical transportation. He also serves as Title Editor of the Assistance & Repatriation Reviews. Oliver holds an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University, as well as a BA in English with Creative Writing from Falmouth University.
February 2025
Issue
Offering readers a deep dive into the issues facing providers and payers of healthcare services around the world. Cost containment, international patient department development, the role of AI in healthcare delivery and more.
