Uganda launches clinical trial for vaccine against Bundibugyo Ebola strain

The town of Masaka in southern Uganda has launched a Phase 1 clinical trial for a vaccine candidate against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. France 24, the Oxford Mail, and Africanews English all reported on the rollout of the study. According to France 24, there is currently no approved vaccine or treatment available for the Bundibugyo strain. [1][2][5]

The candidate vaccine was developed at the University of Oxford and is now being administered to human volunteers in Uganda, according to the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Student. [2][3]

The trial takes place as an Ebola epidemic spreads across central Africa. Initial cases of the 2026 outbreak were first reported on 14 May 2026 in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By early August, the epidemic had become the fastest growing Ebola outbreak on record and the second largest, with cases also spreading into neighbouring Uganda and Kenya. [6][9][10]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has caused more than 9,000 cases and over 4,000 deaths. German medical experts have also been training local healthcare workers in Entebbe, Uganda, on red zone safety protocols to help contain the virus. [9][10]