Third meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on candidate vaccine prioritization (TAG-CVP) for Bundibugyo virus disease outbreak response: meeting report, 31 July 2026

Overview

This meeting report summarizes the deliberations and recommendations of the third meeting of the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Candidate Vaccine Prioritization (TAG-CVP), held on 31 July 2026, regarding candidate vaccines for the ongoing outbreak of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) caused by Orthoebolavirus bundibugyoense in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.

Following two earlier meetings in May 2026, the TAG-CVP reconvened to review new data on the potential for cross-protection against BDBV afforded by the licensed Ebola vaccine Ervebo (rVSV-ZEBOV). The report summarizes evidence from published, pre-print and unpublished studies, including new non-human primate and ferret challenge data and pseudovirus neutralization findings, alongside the TAG-CVP's established criteria for assessing candidate vaccine safety, efficacy potential, and availability for outbreak use.

The report presents the TAG-CVP's updated consensus recommendation that, in the continued absence of a BDBV-specific vaccine ready for evaluation, Ervebo be prioritized for inclusion in a Phase 3 research study in the current outbreak, without need for a preceding Phase 2 evaluation, while leaving open the later inclusion of a BDBV-specific candidate should one become available.