An active Ebola outbreak in Central and East Africa — already declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization and a continental emergency by Africa CDC — has triggered an urgent international funding response. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced on June 1, 2026, that it will accelerate development of three investigational vaccines targeting Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV), the strain driving a rapidly spreading epidemic in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda.
Among the three candidates is a vaccine being developed by the Oxford Vaccine Group at the University of Oxford, built on the ChAdOx1 platform — the same technology that underpinned the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. CEPI has committed initial funding of up to US$8.6 million to support preclinical testing, preparation for Phase 1 clinical trials, creation of a Master Virus Seed stock, and manufacturing of clinical-grade doses at the Serum Institute of India (SII), under a pre-existing agreement between CEPI and SII.
There are currently no licensed vaccines for Bundibugyo ebolavirus, nor any candidates in clinical trials — a gap that has left public health responders without a medical countermeasure specifically designed for this strain. The three candidates were selected following a global review of BDBV vaccines in development and consultation with WHO, Africa CDC, ANRS-MIE, Gavi, and affected countries. Each candidate uses a different validated vaccine technology platform, a deliberate strategy to maximize the probability of at least one proving safe and effective.
Bundibugyo ebolavirus belongs to the filovirus family, a group of pathogens with demonstrated potential for rapid geographic spread and high case fatality rates. The absence of licensed countermeasures for BDBV represents a structural gap in global health security preparedness. CEPI’s funding also draws on its Vaccine Manufacturing Facility Network and its existing strategic partnership with the University of Oxford, illustrating how pre-established infrastructure and agreements can compress timelines during an active emergency — a core objective of the international “100 Days Mission” framework, which aims to have safe and effective vaccines ready within 100 days of a pandemic threat being identified.
Africa CDC Director General H.E. Dr. Jean Kaseya noted the dual stakes of the investment: “CEPI’s investment in three Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidates is both timely and critical to Africa’s health — as well as economic security and advancing Africa’s ambition to build sustainable R&D and vaccine manufacturing capacity on the continent.” Adar Poonawalla, CEO of the Serum Institute of India, emphasized that manufacturing at scale will be prioritized alongside the goal of affordable access for affected countries if a vaccine proves successful.
Professor Teresa Lambe OBE, Calleva Head of Vaccine Immunology at the Oxford Vaccine Group and the Pandemic Sciences Institute, said the effort reflects the value of coordinated international action: “We are hopeful that through a coordinated global effort, we will be able to curb this outbreak and stop this virus in its tracks.”
CEPI’s response, which the organization framed alongside recent Hantavirus outbreaks as evidence of an increasingly complex infectious disease threat environment, signals continued pressure on governments, funders, and research institutions to maintain platform readiness and rapid-response manufacturing capacity across multiple viral families — not only for the pathogens currently making headlines.
Sources and Further Reading:
Oxford Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidate receives CEPI backing – Pandemic Sciences Institute
CEPI fast-tracks three Bundibugyo ebolavirus vaccine candidates – Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI)