Uganda is quickly distributing the Ebola vaccine

 In a world first, Uganda’s Ministry of Health, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other partners have started a clinical trial for a vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus. This is the first time a vaccine for this type of Ebola is being tested for effectiveness, and it’s happening at record speed during an outbreak. The vaccine was provided by IAVI, which has already tested it for safety and immune response. This is also the first time such a trial is being conducted during an active outbreak.

Researchers from Makerere University and the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), with help from WHO and others, prepared the trial in just four days after the outbreak was confirmed on January 30. This quick action was possible because of prior research preparations, while still following all national and international rules and ethical standards.

The vaccine was donated by IAVI, with funding from WHO, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA), and support from the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s Director-General, said, “This is a big step forward in preparing for pandemics and saving lives during outbreaks. It happened because of the hard work of Uganda’s health workers, community involvement, the Ministry of Health, Makerere University, UVRI, and WHO’s research network. We thank all our partners for their support, from IAVI for providing the vaccine to CEPI, EU HERA, Canada’s IDRC, and Africa CDC for funding and assistance. This wouldn’t have been possible without them.”

During a previous Ebola outbreak in Uganda in 2022 (also caused by the Sudan strain), a plan for testing vaccines was developed. Researchers were chosen, and teams were trained to run such trials during active outbreaks.

The trial for the new vaccine, called rVSV, was officially launched in Kampala by Uganda’s Minister of Health. WHO is supporting the trial, with Dr. Mike Ryan, WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme Director, and Dr. Kasonde Mwinga, WHO’s representative in Uganda, attending the launch.