The World Health Organization has cautioned that a vaccine for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola could require six to nine months before it becomes available for use. Two experimental vaccine candidates are currently in development, but neither has entered human clinical trials, according to WHO adviser Dr. Vasee Moorthy.

The outbreak, centered in the Ituri and North Kivu provinces of the Democratic Republic of Congo, has confirmed 51 cases and two additional infections in neighboring Uganda, where one of the Ugandan patients has died. Health officials estimate that up to 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths may have occurred, with numbers expected to rise as detection efforts continue.

WHO Director‑General Dr. Tedros Ad{hanom}