Clinical trial of potential Sudan Ebola vaccine starts in Uganda

By Mevlut Ozkan

ISTANBUL (AA) - A clinical trial of a potentially effective vaccine against Sudan virus disease (SVD) has started in Uganda after the country’s Health Ministry confirmed a Sudan Ebola outbreak last week.

This “major milestone” in public health emergency response highlights the “power of collaboration” in global health security, Matshidiso Moeti, regional director for Africa from the World Health Organization (WHO) said on X Monday.

“If proven effective, the vaccine will further strengthen measures to protect communities from future outbreaks,” she added.

Moeti underlined that WHO and its partners are working closely with Uganda to boost efforts to prevent the virus from spreading and to save lives.

The WHO donated 2,160 doses of candidate vaccine and treatments to Uganda, to support Kampala in the response to the latest Sudan Ebola outbreak.

Uganda’s Health Ministry confirmed the outbreak of Sudan virus disease after the death of a 32-year-old male nurse at the country’s main referral hospital in the capital Kampala last week.

The East African country reported six SVD outbreaks in 2000, 2011, 2012, 2022 and 2025, including the latest outbreak. The previous SVD outbreak in late 2022 claimed 55 lives.

Sudan virus disease, caused by the Sudan Ebola virus, is a hemorrhagic fever with a high fatality rate. It starts with fever and common symptoms such as abdominal pain, fatigue, and sore throat, then followed by nausea, vomiting, diarrhea as well as a rash on occasion, according to WHO.

Sudan Ebola is one of six species of the Ebola virus. There is currently no licensed vaccine against the Sudan Ebola virus, according to the world health body.