Newsletter Edition #372 [The Files Brief]
Readers,
In this quick edition we bring you updates on the Ebola outbreak from the WHO, Africa CDC and the U.S. government. These were communicated to the press in recent days.
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Thanks,
Priti
Priti Patnaik, Founder & Publisher, Geneva Health Files
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THE FILES BRIEF
Ebola Outbreak is Expanding Beyond the Capacity of the Response to Manage: WHO
I. WHO BRIEFING AT THE UN IN GENEVA (AUGUST 4, 2026)
Information from the WHO sent to the UN press (verbatim):
"Treatments and Vaccines for Bundibugyo Virus Ebola Disease
Vasee Moorthy, Lead (acting), WHO R&D Blueprint
- The outbreak is expanding beyond the capacity of the response to manage. It is now the largest the country has ever faced.
- More support is needed in terms of finances and other resources to scale up all areas of response, including treatment capacity, field investigation teams, safe burial teams, and community workers.
- The response needs to be focused where the virus is spreading now and where it might go next
Epidemiological situation (as of 1 August 2026)
- 3748 confirmed cases (1657 confirmed deaths). 708 recoveries.
- Cases have been reported from 49 health zones across five provinces: Haut-Uélé, Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and Tshopo.
- 17 000 contacts under monitoring in DRC; more than 80% of them are seen daily
Treatments and Vaccines
There are no proven safe and efficacious treatment, prophylaxis or vaccination options for Bundibugyo, but we know that early access to care and supportive care can save lives
WHO R&D Blueprint has coordinated a global R&D Preparedness programme with partners which led to development of platform protocols for evaluation of treatment, prophylaxis and vaccine options as soon as they are available for clinical trials. This has greatly accelerated the timelines to starting ethical, high quality trials
The clinical trial of treatment options (known as PARTNERS), is now open in 3 sites in Ituri province, and has enrolled over 50 cases. The protocol is publicly available here https://partnerstrial.ndm.ox.ac.uk/ As more sites gradually open for enrolment the speed of enrolling additional cases will continue to increase. This trial is enrolling confirmed cases of Bundibugyo disease in the treatment facilities.
The clinical trial of a potential post-exposure prophylaxis medicine (oral obeldesivir) is also underway in Ituri province and has enrolled over 25 patients to evaluate whether an oral medicine given for 10 days to confirmed high risk contacts can prevent onset of disease. It is led by the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, together with an international consortium of research and outbreak-response partners
The first Bundibugyo specific candidate vaccine, developed by Oxford University and Serum Institute of India started a Phase 1 trial in UK on 24 July
A second vaccine developed by Moderna is due to start this week in Phase 1 in Canada
New data has emerged in animal studies on Ervebo, a licensed Ebola vaccine, targeting the different Ebola virus (formerly Ebola Zaire).
The TAG was convened on Friday July 31 and WHO will publish the TAG recommendations later this week."
II. AFRICA CDC BRIEFING (JULY 30, 2026)
Compiled by Shubhangi Thakur
