UK starts human trials of first vaccine for Bundibugyo Ebola
Researchers in Oxford have begun testing an experimental shot against the rare Ebola strain in healthy volunteers after regulators cleared the study.
Scientists in Oxford have started human trials of the first vaccine designed for Bundibugyo Ebola, a rare strain that is spreading in parts of central Africa. The study is being carried out in the UK after the medicines regulator approved tests in healthy adults.
The vaccine was developed in about eight weeks, according to the BBC, and is now being assessed for safety and immune response. Bundibugyo Ebola is one of the less common forms of the virus, but it can still cause severe illness and outbreaks.
Euronews reported that the trial comes as cases continue to rise in Congo and Uganda. The work is intended to help prepare a response if the outbreak widens further.
If the early-stage study shows promise, researchers could move on to larger trials later. The vaccine is the first of its kind to reach human testing for this Ebola strain.
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