Human Trials Of New Ebola Vaccine To Begin In UK

A new vaccine to fight a strain of Ebola that is spreading throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) will soon be tested on people in the UK, according to plans released Monday, July 13, 2026. 

Researchers at the University of Oxford have been developing a vaccine to prevent the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, and they now intend to evaluate the vaccine's safety and immunological response in fifty healthy persons between the ages of eighteen and fifty-five.

Recruitment of volunteers is ongoing for the trial and the vaccinations will commence in the coming weeks pending regulatory approval. 

The World Health Organization began working on the project with priority on vaccine development immediately after the outbreak was announced on May 17. 

For possible future usage, about 620,000 doses of the ChAdOx1 BDBV vaccine have been stored, and 4,000 investigational doses have been provided for the Oxford trial.

The vaccine might be created quickly since it uses the same viral vector as the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.

The study's lead scientific investigator, Professor Teresa Lambe said, "The ongoing Bundibugyo ebolavirus outbreak continues to devastate affected communities, underlining the urgent need for effective vaccines and treatments.

"Our team has worked tirelessly with global partners to develop a candidate ChAdOx BDBV vaccine, demonstrating how collaborative partnerships can enable rapid response in the face of rapidly evolving outbreaks.

"This milestone comes after only 57 days since the WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern."

Ebola cases continue to rise with 1,926 cases including 702 deaths being confirmed in the DRC on Monday.