The WHO was made aware of an outbreak of a little-known strain of Ebolavirus, Bundibugyo, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) on 5 May. Cases have now also been reported in Uganda.
There are two licensed vaccines for Zaire ebolavirus, the strain that has caused the biggest outbreaks and has the highest case-mortality rate, at up to 90 per cent. No vaccines exist for Bundibugyo virus, though some promising trials have been undertaken in non-human primates. This means the WHO has been emphasising the importance of containment for halting the spread of the Bundibugyo virus.
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