Scientists at Oxford University are racing to develop a new vaccine against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, as the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo spirals. The World Health Organization has upgraded the risk from 'high' to 'very high' in the region after 750 suspected cases and 177 deaths.

The experimental vaccine leverages the same ChAdOx1 technology used in the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. It uses a genetically engineered chimpanzee cold virus to deliver genetic material from the Bundibugyo virus, training the immune system to fight off the actual disease.

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Animal testing is already underway in Oxford. The Serum Institute of India is prepared to mass-produce the vaccine once medical-grade material is available. The WHO estimates the vaccine could be ready for clinical trials in two to three months.

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Bundibugyo is a rare Ebola species with only two prior outbreaks, in Uganda (2007) and DR Congo (2012). There is no proven vaccine for this strain. The vaccine will be deployed using ring vaccination, targeting close contacts of cases and healthcare workers.

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