Bundibugyo virus vaccine

A platform approach to vaccine development

All of IAVI’s emerging infectious disease vaccines use the same technology behind Merck’s Ebolavirus vaccine, ERVEBO, which is licensed in more than a dozen countries.

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Bundibugyo virus (BDBV) vaccines: An urgently needed countermeasure

IAVI and partners are developing a one-dose vaccine candidate for protection against BDBV disease. Several BDBV vaccines are in development, though none are yet approved for use.

BDBV (family Filoviridae) is an orthoebolavirus that spills over from wildlife into humans to cause outbreaks of BDBV disease — sometimes called Ebola disease — a severe febrile illness, sometimes with hemorrhage, with a high case fatality rate. Only two known outbreaks BDBV disease had occurred before 2026, when a large epidemic began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Preclinical studies of IAVI’s BDBV vaccine candidate show that 100% of vaccinated animals were protected from BDBV disease after receipt of one dose of vaccine. Onset of protective immunological response was rapid. (Mire 2013; Woolsey 2023)

More about BDBV

Orthoebolavirus with high case-fatality rate
No vaccines or specific treatments available
Can cause a range of symptoms including flu-like symptoms, diarrhea, vomiting, widespread bleeding, and even death
Transmitted by direct contact with an infected animal and direct contact with a sick person’s bodily fluids
Outbreaks have been rare, but the 2026 epidemic threatens to be one of the worst Ebola epidemics in history

Press release

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Rapid response

In 2026, the WHO prioritized evaluation of IAVI’s BDBV candidate vaccine as part of a global collaborative effort supporting response to the BDBV disease epidemic in DRC and Uganda. Based on the same rVSV platform as ERVEBO, the IAVI candidate is built on a platform with an established track record in outbreak settings. rVSV vaccines typically deliver rapid onset of immune response after just one dose.

IAVI’s initial work on the vaccine candidate is funded by CEPI, with additional support from the Government of the Netherlands.

BDBV by the numbers

BDBV vaccines or therapeutics

Reported Ebola outbreaks caused by BDBV in sub-Saharan Africa

12-13%

Secondary attack rate in past Ebola (Sudan) outbreaks (source)

30-50%

Case fatality rates in past BDBV outbreaks (source)

99%

Risk of neonatal loss from Ebola disease (source)

$1 billion

Cost of 2018-20 Ebola outbreak response (source)

News & Articles

Press Release

IAVI to advance vaccine candidate for Bundibugyo virus, receives funding from CEPI

June 01, 2026

Key points: NEW YORK, NY — JUNE 1, 2026 — IAVI, a global nonprofit biomedical research organization, today announced that it has reached an agreement with The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) allowing IAVI to develop a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV)-based vaccine candidate targeting Bundibugyo virus (BDBV), the orthoebolavirus responsible for the ongoing […]

IAVI Vaccine Design and Development Lab (DDL) opening ribbon cutting. Pictured left to right: John Coelho, senior advisor, life sciences strategic innovation centers at the New Jersey Economic Development Authority; Christopher Parks, Ph.D., associate vice president of viral vaccines and head of the IAVI DDL; Swati Gupta, DrPH, MPH, vice president and head of emerging infectious diseases and epidemiology at IAVI; and Mark Feinberg, M.D., Ph.D., IAVI president and CEO. (Credit: Alive Coverage)

Features

IAVI opens new Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory space in Jersey City, NJ

February 14, 2025

IAVI’s Vaccine Design and Development Laboratory (DDL) has officially relocated to a custom new lab space in Jersey City, New Jersey. After nearly 20 years of research and innovation at the historic Brooklyn Army Terminal, the DDL is gratified to become a member of New Jersey’s growing biotechnology community at 95 Greene Street. The DDL […]