Three new vaccines are in development for the rare strain of Ebola virus currently devastating Central Africa - as scientists rush to stop the worst outbreak ever.Experts have warned that the spread, caused by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, could surpass the 2014 to 2016 outbreak which killed more than 11,000 people.There are currently more than 1,000 suspected cases of Ebola in the current outbreak and more than 250 deaths, with most of the cases found in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and some in neighbouring Uganda.But the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that the true reach of the outbreak may be much greater - with health officials on red alert across the globe.Suspected cases have appeared in Brazil, Italy and Austria in recent weeks after the outbreak began in the DRC last month, but those tests have so far returned as negative.Still, there are particular fears around Bundibugyo strain - which kills up to 50 per cent of those it infects - because it has no vaccine, but three are in development as scientists look to stop a catastrophic spread.The International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which is hoping to create one of the vaccines, warned that the outbreak is threatening to be the worst ever, even beyond the infamous spread more than a decade ago.Dr Mark Feinberg, head of IAVI, said: 'I think this is clearly threatening to be as severe an outbreak as that, if not even worse, and development of a vaccine, and other countermeasures, is clearly a priority.' Red Cross workers walk in a formation as they disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of Ebola in Rwampara outside Bunia, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 21, 2026 Red Cross workers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) carry a coffin with the dead body of an Ebola victim in Mongbwalu, Djugu Territory, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 24, 2026Scientists at the University of Oxford and Moderna - which manufactured a COVID-19 vaccine - are also rushing to create a vaccine.Oxford Uni have warned that it may take two-to-three months before their vaccine for the new Bundibugyo strain can be tested on humans, meaning it is unlikely patients in Africa will get the drug within the next six months.Currently just one of the six Ebola strains has a vaccine. It was developed for the most common species, known as Zaire, which was behind the 2014 to 2016 outbreak.IAVI are working on a modified version of the Zaire vaccine to combat the Bundibugyo species, which gave nearly 100 per cent protection when tested on monkeys.But Dr Feinberg says it could take up to nine months for the vaccine to be ready for clinical trials. By that point, the virus could have claimed thousands more lives.Moderna will use the same technology used during the COVID pandemic to rapidly create a vaccine.The pharmaceutical company's chief executive Stephane Bancel said: 'We will move with urgency and scientific rigor to support the response and help bring a potential vaccine closer to the communities that need it most.'All three vaccines will aim to teach the immune system to detect Bundibugyo, but they will use different methods to do so.IAVI's vaccine uses a harmless virus that has been modified to carry the Ebola protein, which the immune system will then attack while learning to recognise Ebola at the same time.The Moderna vaccine and the Oxford vaccine deliver genetic instructions into the body. This instructs cells to make the Ebola protein, which the immune system then also identifies as foreign and attacks.In all cases, the goal of the vaccine is to prepare the immune system so it can respond faster and more effectively if a person is exposed to Ebola.Because the vaccines use different technologies, they may provide different levels of protection or require different numbers of doses. Clinical trials are needed to find out how well each vaccine works. World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus arrives in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 30, 2026 A health worker in a protective gown and mask checks locals' temperature as a preventive measure against Ebola in Kanyaruchinya, near Goma, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, 27 May 2026Dr Richard Hatchett, CEO of The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (Cepi), which is providing funding for the early stages of vaccine research, said: 'With Bundibugyo virus spreading rapidly and no licensed vaccines, every day counts in the race against this deadly disease.'Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director-general of the WHO, said: 'A Bundibugyo vaccine could help to control this epidemic and strengthen preparedness for future outbreaks.'Humanitarian aid charity Doctors Without Borders has warned that the Ebola outbreak is 'deeply alarming'.Do you want to lose a stone in six weeks?Hi, I'm Emma Bardwell, a nutritionist with more than 15 years' experience helping people improve their health and lose weight.I've been there. 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Click here to sign up and start your journey The charity's deputy director Dr Alan Gonzales said on Saturday that 'so many cases' of the virus had never before been recorded so quickly.He continued: 'Two weeks after the declaration of the Ebola disease outbreak in Ituri Province, the situation is deeply alarming.'Never before has an Ebola outbreak recorded so many cases so soon after its declaration.He said that his teams were 'witnessing a response that has not yet caught up to the rapid spread of the epidemic' and warned that 'the reality today is that nobody knows the true scale and severity of this outbreak.'He added: 'New suspected cases are being reported daily, yet hundreds of samples remain untested.'Gonzales's comments came after Dr Ghebreyesus visited Bunia - the eastern DRC city where most cases and deaths have occurred.Dr Ghebreyesus said that, while there is no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain yet, there is hope that the virus could be treated with good medical care.The WHO also announced that four nurses treated for Ebola in Bunia had recovered and been discharged from hospital.Ghebreyesus also called on countries that have imposed travel bans on patients from infected regions to reconsider, adding: 'These measures make the response harder, and they discourage transparency and trust that saves lives.'DRC Health Minister Roger Kamba said the country aims to contain and end the outbreak within 'four to six months' in the 'best case scenario'.Symptoms of the Bundibugyo strain are similar to other Ebola variants including a flu-like fever, headache, muscle pain, vomiting and diarrhoea. Health workers are sprayed with disinfectant after coming into contact with the body of a person suspected of having died from Ebola in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 25, 2026In many cases, this progresses to internal bleeding, organ failure and death.Patients can carry the virus for up to 21 days before symptoms begin, which is when experts believe they become infectious.A successful vaccine would likely protect patients from severe illness and death as well as limit the spread of the virus, but there is no guarantee it will be effective.The present epidemic is one of the fastest spreading since the 2014 outbreak which was linked to more than 28,000 cases and 11,000 deaths across West Africa.There has been widespread disarray in affected nations in recent weeks, with locals protesting against the way the outbreak is being handled.Mongbwalu General Referral Hospital in the DRC has come under attack from people seeking to bury the bodies of friends and family members who have died from Ebola, according to the hospital's medical director, Dr Richard Lokodu.But as bodies - and thus, burials - are highly contagious, they are being conducted by medical teams in the area.Some factions in the region are rebelling in the belief that Ebola is a hoax, and confronting Red Cross volunteers.In recent days there have also been riots in the town of Nanyuki in Kenya after the US announced it would quarantine its citizens with Ebola there. Protestors have lit massive bonfires and taken part in demonstrations against the decision, with some holding signs saying 'Say no to Ebola in Nanyuki'.Meanwhile others in local communities have taken to villages with megaphones to encourage residents to follow official health guidance.All flights to and from Bunia have been grounded, but experts believe the virus may have already spread to other nearby nations, such as South Sudan.In previous Ebola outbreaks the virus has killed more than half of those infected, many of whom died due to internal bleeding and organ failure.British health officials have also activated a Returning Workers Scheme - where healthcare workers returning from Ebola outbreak regions are monitored for signs of the disease once back in the UK.However, experts have warned that the UK is unprepared for the Ebola outbreak, and argue that the population may be at risk.Dr Derek Sloan, an expert in infectious diseases at St Andrew's University, said the recent outbreak shows we must remain 'vigilant' and 'preserve funding'.'This outbreak, along with the recent Hantavirus cases on a cruise ship and meningitis infections in the UK shows how important it is that we stay vigilant and use effective public health tools to protect our populations,' Dr Sloan, also a spokesman for UK-Med and Healthy World, Secure Britain, said.'Infectious disease outbreaks such as these in our interconnected world cannot be dismissed as someone else's problem.'These examples show how important it is to maintain this expertise and underline the need to preserve funding for global health and international aid.'