The 2026 Ebola outbreak in the DRC is spurring new Ebola vaccine development for the Bundibugyo species

An Ebola vaccine was developed during the 2018 west African Ebola outbreak, but the 2026 Ebola outbreak is with a different species of the virus, not the one that the vaccine is approved to treat.

An Ebola vaccine was developed during the 2018 west African Ebola outbreak

A study found that Merck's rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine (called Ervebo) was 84% effective against infection during the 2018-2020 Ebola outbreak in the DRC. This effect was observed for both sexes and among children and adults. The vaccine is approved to help provide protection against one specific species of the Ebola virus. The 2026 Ebola outbreak is with a different species of the virus—not the one that the vaccine is approved to treat.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak is hampered by a lack of vaccine against the species of the virus, heightening the need for rapid tests to aid in disease control.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development.

See the evolution of Ebola vaccine and treatment development

The recently approved vaccine and treatments against Ebola are the result of many years of investments and have reshaped how the world addresses Ebola outbreaks. Four drugs were tested in the midst of the 2014 outbreak. Two proved to be so effective the clinical trial ended early. The vaccine proved effective during the 2018-2020 outbreak in the DRC.

The 2026 Ebola outbreak is hampered by a lack of vaccine against the species of the virus, heightening the need for rapid tests to aid in disease control

Clinics in the Democratic Republic of Congo saw patients with Ebola symptoms months before the disease was identified. The identification lag was due to inadequate diagnostics that could not accurately or quickly identify the virus's myriad species. Contact tracing and better diagnostics will be required to tamp down the outbreak.

Three Ebola species are responsible for most large outbreaks of the disease, yet the only approved Ebola vaccine is known to work against just one of them.

Three Ebola species are responsible for most large outbreaks of the disease

The Ebola Zaire, Sudan, and Bundibugyo species are the three ebolaviruses responsible for most large outbreaks in Africa. Among these, Ebola Zaire is the deadliest, with as many as 90% of cases resulting in death. Ebola Sudan has about a 50% fatality rate and has caused several outbreaks in Uganda. More recently discovered in 2007, Bundibugyo causes death in about 30% of people and has caused two large outbreaks in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) before the spring 2026 DRC outbreak. Taï Forest virus is the rarest and is known to have infected a single person in the Côte d'Ivoire in 1994.

Marburg virus, related to Ebola, is also extremely deadly

Discovered nine years before Ebola, Marburg is part of the same filovirus family. While this virus is less contagious, it can still be deadly. Currently, no vaccines exist against this disease. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

Marburg virus, related to Ebola, is also extremely deadly, and has no available vaccine.

Ebola species have historically been named after the places where they were discovered, stigmatizing residents of those areas, including Bundibugyo, in Uganda

This occurred with Ebola Zaire (now the DRC), Sudan, and Bundibugyo, a region in western Uganda composed largely of cocoa farmers. Uganda's link to the Bundibugyo virus is that the species was discovered there almost 20 years ago, in a November 2007 outbreak.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola.

Learn how monoclonal antibodies, which mimic the body's antibodies, can fight diseases like Ebola

Monoclonal Antibodies mimic the antibodies produced naturally by the immune system. These molecules target specific parts of the virus, preventing them from entering cells or interfering with their ability to cause harm or infection.

Ebola species have historically been named after where they were discovered, stigmatizing residents who live there, including Bundibugyo, in Uganda.

Experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies, still under development, have long been funded by the US military.

The US military, concerned about potential deployments worldwide, has long funded experimental hantavirus vaccines and therapies.

Collaborations between the military, biotech, and academic researchers led to an experimental antibody treatment for the Andes hantavirus strain—the one that more readily passes between humans. As of spring 2026, it had only been tested in animals. The US Army has also tested a potential hantavirus vaccine in people. It published early findings in 2023 that seemed promising, eliciting some immune system response. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

How mRNA vaccines work

mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were developed faster than any vaccine ever made. Even more enticing, the underlying technology may unlock preventive treatments for a wide-range of diseases.

Scientists have struggled to pin down Ebola's natural reservoir species for decades, but the available evidence suggests that it's very likely fruit and insect-eating bats found in Africa.

There have been close to 40 Ebola outbreaks since 1976

Ebola is a rare but deadly virus that causes severe illness, organ damage, and sometimes internal bleeding. It spreads through contact with infected bodily fluids and is most common in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. This explainer covers its symptoms, transmission, and treatment options.

Using mosquitoes to vaccinate bats could curb the spread of deadly diseases

Researchers in China tested a transmissible rabies vaccine in the lab by feeding mosquitoes blood containing the vaccine and observing what happened to bats when they were either bitten by the mosquitoes or fed on them. The bats developed antibodies against rabies and survived subsequent rabies infection. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

See how Ebola tore through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia in 2014-2016.

Two Lyme disease vaccines were in development in 2026

As of early 2026, there was no vaccine for Lyme disease available. One candidate vaccine, VLA15, was in later-stage clinical trials. Another designed to provide seasonal protection was licensed to a pharmaceutical company in 2025, and was planned for human clinical trials.

Watch how viruses like Ebola can spill over from animals to humans—and vice-versa.

Watch what the Ebola virus does inside our cells and organs in order to spread and survive.

Ebola is a filovirus, meaning it resembles a thread under a microscope, though it sometimes twists and can resemble a bowl of spaghetti.

What are universal vaccines?

As viruses mutate and develop, vaccines have to adapt, leading to regular recommended injections like flu shots. Researchers are working to develop universal vaccines that aim to protect against multiple virus variants if not entire virus families. These vaccines work by creating broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) that target aspects of viruses that don't typically mutate and are integral to the virus' survival.

A vaccine against Epstein-Barr virus, researchers hypothesize, could potentially prevent MS

As many as a quarter of MS patients have antibodies in their blood that bind to both a central protein in Epstein-Barr virus and a protein made in the brain and spinal cord that—when attacked—leads to a breakdown of protective nerve fiber insulation. This suggests the immune system's primed to attack the nervous system after mounting a defense against Epstein-Barr.

There are two recommended malaria vaccines

Two vaccines are currently recommended by world health experts for children living in areas where malaria transmission is common. The first, RTS,S/ASO1, formally became recommended for use by the World Health Organization in October 2021, and the second was approved by the WHO two years later. Both have faced logistical, financial, and uptake challenges.

Wastewater testing has detected genetic evidence of polio, triggering vaccine boosters

Sampling of wastewater in London in 2022 detected fragments of polio virus, suggesting a vaccine-derived version of polio may be circulating. No one became ill, but the finding did trigger calls for a renewed booster inoculation campaign.

The business models behind vaccines

Watch experts weigh in on the prevailing business models of vaccine production, including how the Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted the industry for good in this 20-minute video from Financial Times.

Wolbachia is a naturally occurring bacterium being employed to fight dengue

Scientists are fighting dengue spread in a roundabout way: injecting bacteria into Aedes aegypti mosquito eggs, which blocks the dengue virus from replicating in the tissue of mosquitoes. Researchers hope the bacterium will be passed to future generations, inoculating them against dengue. Wolbachia is also being investigated to combat other mosquito-borne diseases.

Explore what it's like inside a patient isolation unit, used in situations such as treating a patient or suspected patient with Ebola.

A timeline of major pandemics from 1899–2025

Modern pandemics have been defined by the race between globalization (which increases risk) and the development of new medicines. The Great Influenza epidemic claimed some 50 million lives, and the COVID-19 pandemic killed more than 7 million. In between, diseases like Ebola, cholera, AIDS, and more have devastated communities.

The oral, live virus vaccine is the most robust but carries more risks

The live virus vaccine, delivered via oral drops, induces the best protection in the body. Because it includes a live, weakened form of the virus there's an extremely small risk it can sicken recipients and potentially cause paralysis. Recipients also shed the virus in their stool, which can rarely lead to vaccine-derived cases of the virus if the virus mutates. (Some users may experience a paywall.)

HIV originated in Central and West Africa from a virus in chimpanzees

Researchers believe the virus crossed from chimpanzees to humans through bushmeat practices in the early 20th century, with genetic studies suggesting the most recent common ancestor of the HIV-1 M group, which is responsible for the global AIDS pandemic, emerged around 1910–1930 in Léopoldville (now Kinshasa) in the Belgian Congo.

How the World Bank's pandemic bonds were triggered during COVID-19

In 2017, the World Bank raised a chunk of emergency funds through bonds to help developing countries cover funds in the event of a pandemic. Had no pandemic occurred, investors would have received returns of 6% to 11%. But the global pandemic meant they lost all their money.

A 1954 outbreak at a Boston boarding school allowed scientists to isolate the measles virus

While measles was described as early as the 9th century, humanity lacked the medical technology to fight the disease until the mid-20th century. Vaccine development from the Boston outbreak in the 1960s and 1970s led to one of the most effective inoculation campaigns in history.

Cultural norms about how to handle the bodies of loved ones in communities in West Africa have hampered Ebola responses.

A new daily MS pill is seeking regulatory approval in 2026

In clinical trials, Roche's fenebrutinib showed promise treating primary progressive MS and doubling relapse-free time in patients with relapsing MS as compared to existing treatment. But some liver damage and two possible drug-related deaths in the trials may make it difficult for the drug to net approval. (Some users may encounter a paywall.)

This real-time tracking of the hantavirus cruise ship outbreak in May 2026 offers a unique glimpse into the global reach of the outbreak and whether the virus sickened passengers and their communities around the world.

The International Olympic Committee banned ibogaine decades ago

Beyond use by athletes as a stimulant before the ban, the drug has a long history. The psychoactive substance was also mass produced in the mid-20th century by a French pharmaceutical company as a product called Lambarène, which was marketed as a cure for conditions including depression and lethargy. Production halted in 1966, however, when ibogaine-containing products became illegal in France.

Read a deep dive on the 'all-purpose healing' peptide BPC-157.

Indefinite cloning of some endangered species may not sustain their longevity because cloning success rates decrease as genetic mutations accumulate.

NBA superstar Victor Wembanyama spent the 2025 summer training with monks in central China to enhance his body and mind.

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Budweiser stores yeast derived from the original 1800s strain in a secret bunker, which only the Head of Yeast Management can access—not even the CEO

SpaceX's S-1 or 'prospectus' revealed many previously unknown details about the company, including its unprofitability despite doing $18.7B in revenue in 2025, exactly how many voting shares Elon Musk will have in the company (roughly 85%), and more.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

Electrical grids worldwide must double their power delivery capacity by 2050 to meet surging demand from AI and electric vehicles.

The most expensive ad of all time was for Chanel No. 5 perfume and cost roughly $33M to produce in 2004—about $57M in today's dollars.