First person gets new experimental vaccine for Ebola

What the report says

BBC Africa reports that the first participant in a human trial of a new experimental Ebola vaccine has been vaccinated in Oxford. The volunteer, Ed Hunt, a 37-year-old from the UK, said he came forward after following reports about the deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is the first of 50 healthy adults aged 18 to 55 expected to join the early-stage trial.

The vaccine was developed by University of Oxford scientists in eight weeks and uses the same vaccine platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 jab. Professor Teresa Lamb, who led the Oxford Ebola vaccine team, told the BBC that the rapid development drew on decades of previous research. She said the phase one study is intended to assess safety and whether the shot produces a strong immune response that could help protect against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. The trial will not expose participants to Ebola.

According to the BBC, four vaccines are being developed against the Bundibugyo species linked to the current outbreak, and the Oxford candidate is the first to reach human testing. An existing licensed Ebola vaccine targets the Zaire species but does not protect against Bundibugyo. The Oxford team says another small trial is expected to start in Uganda, with a larger efficacy study planned in DR Congo if development progresses.

The Serum Institute of India has already produced 600,000 doses of the Oxford vaccine for potential use if trials are successful. BBC Africa reports that DR Congo has recorded more than 2,500 confirmed Ebola cases in the outbreak, including just over 1,000 deaths.