Abuja: The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) has warned that an 185 million dollar funding gap could undermine efforts to develop and ensure equitable access to vaccines against Bundibugyo virus. CEPI raised the concern in a publication marking 100 days into the Bundibugyo response, stating that while rapid progress had been achieved towards developing and making countermeasures equitably accessible, more remained to be done.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the publication, released on Tuesday and titled ‘100 days into the Bundibugyo emergency, unprecedented speed is still not enough’, highlighted the joint inauguration of a Continental Preparedness and Response Plan by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The plan requires 518 million dollars to support African countries and partners in responding to the outbreak, but only 333.2 million dollars have been disbursed so far, leaving a shortfall of 184.8 million dollars.
CEPI emphasized the urgent need for additional contributions to the emergency response, warning that a failure to provide immediate funding could delay Phase Two/Three trials and access to vaccines, ultimately resulting in fewer lives saved. The goal is to bring at least two Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidates to Emergency Use Authorisation, which could help curtail the outbreak and save lives, while also strengthening the global pipeline of countermeasures against future Bundibugyo outbreaks.
Progress has been made towards equitable access to potential vaccines, with partners identifying draft priorities to guide fair distribution once vaccines are approved. These priorities include embedding community engagement in clinical trial design, addressing indemnification and liability gaps, and ensuring that displaced and refugee populations are included in vaccination plans.
CEPI also identified community trust as an urgent issue, especially concerning how the use of the existing Ervebo Ebola vaccine could influence perceptions of new vaccines specifically developed against Bundibugyo virus. Early coordination among CEPI, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), alongside rapidly activated technical networks, had facilitated a faster response in some areas than during the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak.
The organisation stressed the need to make the 100 Days Mission an operational reality by strengthening preparedness and ensuring that response systems can be activated rapidly during future outbreaks. CEPI warned against reducing investment in pandemic preparedness, underlining the importance of strengthening institutions and capabilities before the next health emergency. Stronger coordination is urged to ensure that progress made during the Bundibugyo response translates into faster and more equitable access to countermeasures for affected populations and future outbreaks.