UNICEF and Gavi have made a call to manufacturers in a move to accelerate access to a vaccine against Bundibugyo Ebolavirus disease.
On 24 June 2026, they announced the launch of a Request for Expression of Interest (EOI) to gather information from vaccine developers and manufacturers on their plans for a vaccine against the disease.
The initiative follows Gavi’s recent commitment of $40m to support accelerated vaccine access and intends to help inform how that financing can best support manufacturing scale-up and rapid access to doses if and when they become available.
Speaking on the $40m commitment to accelerating vaccine access, Dr Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, said: “While we are some way off having a safe and effective vaccine against Bundibugyo virus, we need to act now to ensure that, once one or more vaccine candidates are ready, manufacturers are in a position to start producing doses at scale.”
Expression of Interest
The EOI, issued by UNICEF on 24 June, builds on ongoing engagement with manufacturers and partners, including WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness, and will support an expedited assessment and prioritisation of the most promising vaccine candidates.
Any subsequent agreements support manufacturing readiness – including the production of investigational doses to manufacturing scale-up – for emergency use in outbreak response, in line with appropriate policy recommendations.
Importance of accelerated access
The Bundibugyo strain – the source of the current Ebola disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda – is severe and highly lethal.
There is currently no vaccine available against the Bundibugyo species.
As of 24 June, there are 1,094 confirmed cases and 277 deaths in eastern DRC, some of them children.
In Uganda, there are 20 confirmed cases and two deaths.
Catherine Russell, Executive Director, UNICEF, said: “Out teams in Ituri have met children who have lost their mothers, and in some cases both parents, to Ebola.
“Children are trying to make sense of the threat while surrounded by rumours and online misinformation.
“[They] are especially vulnerable because they depend on caregivers and cannot distance themselves form a sick parent or sibling in the same way that an adult can.
“To better protect children, we need sustained access, and the resources needed to reach every affected community.”
Accelerating the development and roll-out of effective and safe vaccines is therefore a critical global priority.
Featured image: Ricochet64 on Adobe Stock
- Author:
