Uganda has commenced a clinical trial for a vaccine against the Sudan strain of the Ebola virus, following an outbreak that has already claimed the life of a nurse and infected others in the capital, Kampala.
The trial, which began on February 3 at Mulago National Referral Hospital, is being carried out by the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), the Uganda Virus Research Institute, and the Makerere University Lung Institute. The initiative is targeting healthcare workers and individuals at high risk of exposure to the virus.
“This vaccination trial was initiated with record speed,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter), emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
“This trial marks a major milestone in public health emergency response and demonstrates the power of collaboration for global health security. If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks,” said WHO director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti.
Uganda has faced six outbreaks of the Sudan Ebola virus, a strain for which no approved vaccine currently exists. Of the five known Ebola virus species, only the Zaire strain has licensed vaccines. The most severe Ebola epidemic in history, which occurred in West Africa between 2013 and 2016, resulted in over 11,300 deaths.
The Sudan strain is highly infectious, spreading through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals. Symptoms include high fever, vomiting, severe diarrhea, and internal bleeding, often leading to fatal complications.
The trial is being conducted using a “ring vaccination” strategy, in which all contacts of confirmed Ebola patients—as well as contacts of those contacts—are immunized to contain the virus.
According to the WHO, the first identified “ring” of vaccination involves 40 people, primarily individuals who had direct or secondary contact with the nurse who succumbed to the virus last week. Health officials say that lessons learned from previous outbreaks have helped accelerate response measures.
Preparedness and Previous Ebola Response
Uganda has been preparing for such an outbreak since the 2022 Sudan Ebola epidemic, which prompted the development of a structured response system for deploying candidate vaccines. This groundwork has allowed authorities to act swiftly in launching the current trial.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Uganda’s neighbor, has battled more than a dozen Ebola outbreaks, including a devastating epidemic in 2020 that resulted in 2,280 deaths. The close proximity of the two countries has heightened the urgency for a swift containment strategy in Uganda.
Uganda’s efforts to combat the Sudan Ebola virus will have significant implications for global health security. The success of this vaccine trial could pave the way for an approved vaccine against this particular strain, potentially preventing future outbreaks across Africa.