A British man has made history as the first person to receive an experimental Ebola vaccine designed to combat a particularly deadly strain of the virus. Ed Hunt, 37, volunteered for the trial in Oxford after being moved by reports of the ongoing outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo), which has seen over 2,500 confirmed cases and nearly 1,000 deaths.
The vaccine was developed in just eight weeks at the University of Oxford, thanks to decades of underlying research and technology similar to that used in the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine. Mr Hunt is one of 50 healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55 who will participate in this initial phase of the trial.
"I wanted to do something to help," said Mr Hunt, who had previously been unable to volunteer for a Covid vaccine trial due to work commitments. The escalating situation in DR Congo prompted him to seek a way to contribute.
Professor Teresa Lamb led the Oxford Ebola vaccine team and explained that the trial is a Phase 1 clinical assessment focused on the vaccine's safety and its ability to induce a strong immune response against the Bundibugyo species of Ebola. She reassured participants would not be exposed to live Ebola virus in this or any subsequent trial.
While there is an existing licensed vaccine effective against another strain of Ebola, it doesn't protect against Bundibugyo. The Oxford vaccine is one of four candidates targeting this strain and the first to reach human trials. A second trial will soon commence in Uganda and a larger efficacy study is planned for DR Congo. The Serum Institute in India has already manufactured 600,000 doses, ready for deployment if trials prove successful.