The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) has blamed insufficient international interest in African disease outbreaks for the absence of an approved vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, warning that the continent must strengthen its capacity to develop and manufacture vaccines.

Africa CDC Director-General, Dr Jean Kaseya, made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, arguing that research into the strain might have advanced further if outbreaks were occurring in Western countries.

“If this outbreak was in Western countries, vaccine will already be available,” Kaseya said, attributing the gap partly to what he described as a lack of interest among international partners because the disease was regarded as an African problem.

The Bundibugyo strain is responsible for the current Ebola outbreak that has raised concerns over the availability of vaccines and specific treatments. Unlike the Zaire strain, for which a licensed vaccine exists, Bundibugyo has no approved vaccine specifically targeting it.

The absence of an approved vaccine presents a challenge for health authorities responding to the outbreak, particularly as they work to contain transmission and protect people who may have been exposed to the virus.

Existing Ebola vaccines cannot automatically be assumed to protect against every strain. The licensed Ervebo vaccine targets the Zaire strain, while the Bundibugyo virus is biologically distinct, making research into effective protection against it necessary.

Kaseya said Africa CDC was supporting efforts to close the gap, disclosing that an African manufacturer in Egypt was conducting clinical trials of a potential vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain.

He also said the agency was working with the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to explore clinical trials and compassionate use of Ervebo, which was developed for the Zaire strain.

Compassionate use allows an investigational or otherwise unapproved intervention to be considered for patients under applicable regulatory and medical safeguards. Its use against Bundibugyo would require careful assessment because the vaccine was not specifically developed for that strain.

The Africa CDC chief called for greater investment in African vaccine research and manufacturing, arguing that the continent has the scientific expertise and human resources required to develop its own medical countermeasures.

“We don’t want to see Africa left behind. We have the knowledge, we have people with intelligence, we have capacity to manufacture vaccines, and we need to move on,” he said.

The World Health Organization has also confirmed that no licensed vaccine or specific treatment is currently available for Bundibugyo virus disease. Its outbreak response guidance emphasises rapid case detection, isolation, contact tracing, infection prevention, supportive medical care and community engagement while research into potential vaccines and treatments continues.

The research challenge is to establish whether candidate vaccines can safely and effectively protect against the Bundibugyo strain, while health authorities continue containment measures without waiting for an approved vaccine.