First Human Dose Given in Global Bundibugyo Ebola Vaccine Trial

Oxford/Kinshasa, July 28, 2026 - Oxford Vaccine Group announced the first volunteer had received ChAdOx1 BDBV in the BD-Ebov Phase 1 trial, the first clinical study of a vaccine designed for Bundibugyo Ebola.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called the launch an important step and said data would guide next development stages.

This detail was included in the mid-to-late July DRC briefing.

The candidate uses the same viral-vector platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine; CEPI is funding an $8.6 million programme with Oxford and the Serum Institute of India, which produced a stockpile of about 620,000 doses and supplied trial vials.

Further studies are being prepared with partners in Uganda if early results are favourable.

Unlike Zaire-strain Ebola, Bundibugyo still lacks a licensed vaccine or specific treatment, leaving the DRC’s 17th outbreak dependent on classic containment tools.