A clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine has begun in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The second fatality in Kenya.

Democratic Republic of the Congo health authorities initiated the first clinical trial of an Ebola vaccine in the city of Bunia on Friday, marking a critical step in the response to the deadliest outbreak in the nation’s history. Simultaneously, Kenya confirmed the death of a second patient infected with the virus, while Nigeria announced the detection of its first case involving a diplomat who traveled from Uganda. The outbreak, driven by the Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has now spread across four African nations, prompting warnings from regional health bodies about the severity of the situation. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, more than 9,700 infection cases have been recorded, resulting in over 4,600 deaths, according to figures cited by Slovenian media. Other reports from Nigerian and African news agencies cite slightly lower totals, with health authorities reporting 4,381 deaths among more than 9,000 confirmed cases. The discrepancy highlights the rapid pace of data collection during the crisis. The outbreak began in the eastern part of the country in mid-May. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention designated it as the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak on record. A primary challenge for medical teams remains the lack of an approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo variant. World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced via social media that initial participants were enrolled in the clinical trial in Bunia on Friday. The trial, named Tumaini, a Swahili word meaning hope, aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of candidate vaccines. The initial phase includes testing Ervebo, a vaccine currently approved for protection against the more common Zaire strain of the virus. Researchers will determine whether Ervebo offers cross-protection against the Bundibugyo variant. Two additional vaccines specifically developed for the Bundibugyo strain are planned for inclusion in future phases. One candidate is being developed by the University of Oxford using an adenoviral vector technology. The second is produced by the American company Moderna utilizing mRNA technology. The World Health Organization stated it supports these efforts led by the Congolese government. In Kenya, a 65-year-old woman died on Friday evening. She was a relative of the first confirmed Ebola patient in the country. According to the Kenyan ministry, the woman was already in quarantine when she developed symptoms in mid-October before receiving medical care. Kenya has confirmed nine infections to date. Two patients have died, while seven others are undergoing treatment in two isolation units. Authorities stated they do not currently detect spread of the infection within the broader population. The first case in Kenya was confirmed on October 6. That patient was a man who contracted the virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, traveled to neighboring Uganda, and then flew to Kenya, where he died in a hospital. Nigeria confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo strain on Tuesday, marking the disease’s first spread to West Africa during this outbreak. The patient is a female diplomat who arrived in the capital, Abuja, from Uganda on October 3. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention noted that she was tested on October 19 after officials learned of her recent travel to Uganda. Positive results were confirmed on Tuesday. Olajumoke Babatunde, director of the public health laboratory service at the NCDC, stated that three levels of molecular tests were conducted to identify the strain. An unnamed official told news agencies that the patient’s condition has deteriorated into multi-organ failure. Her nationality was not disclosed, though her husband, a Swiss national living in Abuja, is among the contacts being monitored. Nigerian authorities have identified 44 contacts, primarily healthcare workers, who are under monitoring. Efforts are ongoing to trace other individuals who may have been exposed, including passengers who traveled with the diplomat from Uganda to Nigeria. However, officials do not believe she was symptomatic during the flight. Health Minister Muhammad Ali Pate told public broadcasters that the woman is in isolation and receiving treatment. The World Health Organization said infection prevention and control measures are being ramped up at the private hospital where the patient sought care. Ayoade Alakija, a Nigerian physician who co-chairs a G7 committee for investment in global health, noted that it took 12 days from when the woman fell ill until she was tested, raising concerns about potential exposure to others. Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa CDC, described the situation as an extremely serious threat. He stated that the Bundibugyo outbreak has become the most geographically widespread Ebola outbreak in history, affecting multiple countries across three regions of Africa. Kaseya appealed urgently to the international community to act. In August, Uganda was declared officially Ebola-free by the World Health Organization after recording 20 cases, nearly all of whom had traveled from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The current epidemic has forced a reassessment of containment strategies across the continent. Previous outbreaks in Nigeria occurred in 2014, when the first case was detected in Lagos. That incident resulted in 20 infections and eight deaths before being contained within three months. The wider West African epidemic between late 2013 and 2016 killed more than 11,000 people. Current efforts focus on limiting further geographic expansion while awaiting the results of the vaccine trials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.