Ebola disease is a severe illness with a high fatality rate. There is currently no licensed vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo virus disease, the type of Ebola disease that is causing the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
On July 30, 2026, Health Canada authorized Moderna to move forward with a Phase I clinical trial for its candidate mRNA vaccine for Ebola disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus. Canada is the second country to authorize a Phase I clinical trial for a Bundibugyo virus vaccine candidate after the U.K.
The clinical trial will assess the candidate vaccine's safety, determine the right dosage range and identify any side effects in healthy participants. Following this, Moderna would be required to conduct additional clinical trial phases before it could seek approval from Health Canada for the vaccine. Any final submission would need to meet Health Canada's stringent safety, efficacy and quality standards before the vaccine could be allowed on the Canadian market.
