World Health Organization approves the use of two new Ebola vaccines

The WHO has approved two new Ebola vaccines for use in the Democratic Republic of Congo amid an outbreak. These vaccines target the Bundibugyo variant and are named 'ChAdOx1' and 'mRNA-1469'. While they have passed initial safety tests, their effectiveness in stopping the epidemic remains unproven. The Ervebo vaccine, approved for the Zaire variant, is also being used, but its efficacy against the new variant is uncertain. Thousands of doses of the new vaccines have been allocated for healthcare workers and contacts of patients, utilizing a ring vaccination strategy to contain the virus's spread. Despite concerns, the outbreak's growth rate is stable, with 400 to 500 new cases reported weekly.