DR Congo: The Bundibugyo virus challenge: why is this Ebola disease outbreak different?

Countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda Source: Médecins Sans Frontières On 15 May 2026, the Democratic Republic of Congo's Ministry of Health officially declared an Ebola disease outbreak in the northeast of the country, where Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams are operating. Since then, the authorities have reported nearly 500 suspected cases and more than 130 deaths across multiple health zones. On the same day, Uganda announced the virus had crossed the border. The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo virus — which is rarer and does not yet have an approved vaccine or treatment. John Johnson, MSF's medical lead for epidemic response, shares what MSF knows about the unfolding crisis in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda. Are there vaccines available to fight this Ebola disease outbreak? There are currently two approved vaccines against Ebola disease, but neither is approved for use in cases of infection with the Bundibugyo virus. The Ervebo vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV) can be used to limit the spread of the disease through a so-called ring vaccination strategy, meaning it is administered to people who have been in contact with an infected individual, secondary contacts, and healthcare workers. Another vaccine can be used both during outbreaks for people at risk of exposure to the virus, and as a preventive measure before outbreaks for frontline responders or those living in areas not yet affected by the outbreak. However, these two vaccines are currently approved only against the most common virus responsible for Ebola disease (known as the “Ebola virus”, formerly called the “Zaire virus”), which notably caused the devastating outbreak in West Africa between 2014 and 2016. Discussions are underway within the World Health Organization (WHO) to determine which vaccine candidat...

Original source: Relief Web