Health officials working to tackle Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on 21 MayMichel Lunanga/Getty Images
A new mRNA vaccine has been developed that may provide long-term protection against the deadliest viruses in the Ebola family – including the Bundibugyo strain currently spreading in two African countries.
Over 600 people are thought to have been infected with Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and there have been two confirmed cases in Uganda, leading the World Health Organization to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
Bundibugyo virus is a member of a group of pathogens known as orthoebolaviruses, which also includes the most common form of Ebola – the Zaire virus – and Sudan virus. All three can cause severe disease in humans.
Until now, Bundibugyo outbreaks have been rare compared with those of the Zaire strain, which infected over 28,000 people between 2014 and 2016. There are two approved vaccines for the Zaire virus, but none for the Bundibugyo or Sudan viruses.
