Three Ebola Vaccines in Development Amid Growing Outbreak Fears

AFRICA – Three new vaccines are being developed to tackle the rare species of Ebola that has already killed nearly 250 people.

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), which is working on one vaccine, says the outbreak was threatening to be the worst ever.

The University of Oxford and the pharmaceutical company Moderna are also researching vaccines against the rare species.

There are now more than 1,000 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with nine confirmed cases in neighbouring Uganda.

There are six species of Ebola, and vaccines must be developed for each species. Only three are known to cause outbreaks.

This rare Bundibugyo species has only been seen twice before and there is no approved vaccine.