Scientists race to develop 3 Ebola vaccines amid DRC outbreak
Technology
Scientists are racing to develop three new Ebola vaccine candidates after a recent outbreak hit the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda.
Backed by up to $62 million in funding, these efforts come as the DRC has reported 344 cases and 60 deaths, with Uganda seeing 15 cases and one death so far.
IAVI leads, infection control remains key
The IAVI vaccine is leading the pack, showing protection in monkeys and heading for human trials within nine months.
Moderna's working on an mRNA vaccine (think COVID-19 tech), while Oxford and Serum Institute of India are adapting their COVID-19 platform for Ebola, aiming to start trials soon.
But getting these vaccines tested in remote areas remains tough, so for now, basic infection control is still key to controlling the outbreak.