Ebola: In the DRC’s main epicenter, first treatment trials rekindle hope

Clinical trials in Bunia, the main epicentre of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak, are testing vaccines and medicines to reduce infections and improve survival. The work offers hope against the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine or specific treatment has yet been proven, while the outbreak continues to claim lives.

Four studies are under way. The Bravo trial is testing the Ervebo vaccine among response workers and aims to enrol 20,000 people; about 2,030 had joined by 27 October, with first results expected in spring 2027. Another vaccine study, Tumaini, is preparing to assess candidates from Moderna and Oxford; the Partner study is testing remdesivir with an antibody cocktail, given to 755 patients by 27 October; and Ebo-Pep is testing antivirals to protect high-risk contacts. Researchers caution that recoveries so far cannot yet be attributed to the medicines.