Gavi welcomes recommendation to include existing Ebola vaccine Ervebo in clinical trials for Bundibugyo virus disease

Geneva, 7 August 2026 – Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance welcomes the news that the WHO Technical Advisory Group on candidate vaccine prioritization (TAG-CVP) for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) outbreak response recommends that the existing approved Ebola vaccine – Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV) – should be prioritized for inclusion in a Phase 3 trial in the context of the ongoing BVD outbreak. In its recommendation, WHO noted the large amount of safety and immunogenicity data available for Ervebo – which has been used to help control several Ebola Zaire outbreaks over the past decade – which makes it suitable to directly enter into Phase 3 evaluations for Ebola Bundibugyo.

Doses of Ervebo from the global Ebola vaccine stockpile, established and funded by Gavi and managed by the Interagency Coordination Group on Vaccine Provision (ICG), are expected to be made available to support trials.

Any trial of Ervebo in the context of this BVD outbreak will complement existing efforts to develop a Bundibugyo-specific vaccine. Gavi is supporting this work through a US$ 40 million investment from its First Response Fund, with the aim to accelerate and scale access to promising Bundibugyo-specific candidates for investigational use in outbreak response and, eventually, WHO pre-qualification.

“This is already the largest Ebola outbreak in DRC’s history, and could well become the largest outbreak ever. And it is occurring in areas where we know, from experience, outbreaks are difficult to control. Given the terrible toll on communities and frontline workers, we are encouraged that the approved Ebola vaccine Ervebo – readily available through our Gavi-funded global stockpile – could help reduce severe illness and deaths, and we are committed to supporting its trial alongside our continuing work on accelerated access to promising Bundibugyo-specific candidates,” Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.”

Notes to Editors

About the global Ebola vaccine stockpile

  • During the deadly 2014-2016 West Africa Ebola outbreak, no approved vaccines existed.
  • Gavi stepped in and committed its support, with an Advance Purchase Commitment that made 300,000 investigational doses of the (then-candidate) Ervebo vaccine available for outbreak response. Gavi further committed to establishing and financing a global stockpile of Ebola vaccines, helping accelerate the pathway to WHO prequalification by ensuring a permanent market for the vaccine.
  • After Ervebo received WHO approvals, the global stockpile was officially launched in 2021. It is funded by Gavi, with decisions around its use in outbreaks governed by the WHO Interagency Coordination Group on Vaccine Provision – a group that consists of WHO, UNICEF, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), with Gavi as an observer.
  • The stockpile is maintained at 500,000 Ervebo doses, with some stock permanently pre-positioned in the DRC given the relatively high prevalence of outbreaks in the country.
  • Like all Gavi-funded stockpiles, the vaccines can be used by any country in the world. Lower-income countries eligible for Gavi support receive doses for free, alongside financing for outbreak response vaccination activities, while other countries reimburse Gavi for the use of the vaccines.
  • The global stockpile has been used to conduct four campaigns in response to Ebola Zaire outbreaks in the DRC – most recently in September 2025, when over 47,000 individuals were rapidly vaccinated. It has helped dramatically reduce cases and deaths, and bring Ebola outbreaks under control.

About preventive Ebola vaccination 

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate more than half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organisations that fund Gavi’s work here.

Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 1.2 billion children – and prevented more than 20.6 million future deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 78 lower‑income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningococcal and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation, above all the zero-dose children who have not received even a single vaccine shot. The Vaccine Alliance employs innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Bluesky, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X and YouTube.

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