The fight against Ebola has entered a new phase. Three vaccine candidates are now in advanced stages of development, with UK scientists at the forefront of a coordinated global response. This news arrives as the World Health Organization reports a rise in Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, raising concerns of a wider epidemic.
Dr. Zara Mbeki, lead virologist at the University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, confirmed that two of the candidates are being developed in British laboratories. “We are not waiting for the next outbreak. We are building a shield,” she said. The vaccines target the Zaire and Sudan strains of the virus, which have caused the deadliest outbreaks in recent history.
The first candidate, ChAdOx1-EBOV, is a viral vector vaccine built on the same platform as the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. Phase two trials in West Africa have shown strong immune responses against the Zaire strain. The second, called RABVAC, uses a modified rabies virus to carry Ebola proteins, offering potential dual protection. The third candidate, developed by a consortium including the US National Institutes of Health, employs a messenger RNA approach similar to the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.
What makes this effort different is the speed and coordination. The UK Health Security Agency has established a rapid-response manufacturing unit in Porton Down, capable of producing millions of doses within months of an outbreak. “We have learned from the 2014 West Africa disaster,” said Dr. Mbeki. “Vaccines cannot sit in freezers. They must be ready to deploy before the virus spreads.”
Ebola is a haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of up to 90%. It spreads through direct contact with bodily fluids and can decimate communities in weeks. The 2014 outbreak killed over 11,000 people and exposed the world’s lack of preparedness. Since then, an effective vaccine known as Ervebo has been licensed, but it protects only against the Zaire strain. The Sudan strain, which has no approved vaccine, caused outbreaks in Uganda in 2022.
The new candidates aim to close that gap. Early data suggest the Oxford vaccine triggers neutralising antibodies against both strains. “If these vaccines succeed, we could see the end of Ebola as a public health threat,” said Dr. Mbeki. “But we must be vigilant. The virus mutates, and our defences must evolve.”
The global community is watching. The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has pledged £100 million to accelerate clinical trials and stockpile doses. Meanwhile, the UK government has committed to sharing technology with manufacturers in Africa, aiming to establish local production capacity. “This is not charity. It is self-interest,” said Dr. Mbeki. “A virus anywhere is a threat everywhere.”
The next test will come in the field. If cases continue to rise, the vaccines may be deployed under emergency use protocols. Scientists are hopeful but cautious. “We are no longer fighting blind,” said Dr. Mbeki. “We have the tools. Now we need the will.”
