WHO approves trials for two new Ebola vaccines
Two new vaccines were designed for the Bundibugyo virus that has killed more than 5,300 in the DR Congo.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved clinical trials for two new Ebola vaccines, as doctors fight to control the largest outbreak in the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
On Monday, WHO expert groups recommended adding two vaccine trials designed to fight the Bundibugyo strain, which has killed more than 5,300 people, most in the DRC, since May.
Public health agencies have struggled to contain the Bundibugyo virus, which has a fatality rate of 50 percent due to the lack of a vaccine or treatments designed specifically for the strain.
The African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said 10,444 cases of the Bundibugyo virus have been confirmed, making it the fastest-growing outbreak in DRC’s history.