First person gets new experimental vaccine for Ebola
A 37-year-old UK man has become the first volunteer to receive an experimental vaccine targeting the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus. Developed by Oxford scientists, the trial aims to assess safety and immune response following a recent outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Why it matters
This trial represents a critical step in addressing a specific, previously untreatable strain of a deadly virus using proven vaccine technology.
Image caption, Ed Hunt receiving the Ebola vaccine in Oxford
Medical editor Published 1 hour ago The first volunteer in the world - a 37-year-old UK man called Ed Hunt - has received an experimental vaccine against the Ebola virus.
Hunt said he wanted to help after seeing news reports of the deadly Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo.
The vaccine, designed using the same technology as one of the UK's Covid vaccines, was given in Oxford where scientists developed it in just eight weeks.
Hunt is the first of 50 healthy volunteers aged 18-55 being recruited for the trial.
He told the BBC what motivated him to take part: "I had wanted to volunteer for the Covid vaccine trial but was unable to because of work commitments. After seeing news from DR Congo I thought I'd like to do my bit."
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in