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Belgium sends mobile laboratory to Bunia for Ebola vaccine trial

By , based on Beto and Kivu Morning Post

Belgium sends mobile laboratory to Bunia for Ebola vaccine trial

Belgium will send a mobile laboratory to Bunia, in Ituri, to support a clinical trial of a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced on 29 October 2026, according to Beto and Kivu Morning Post. Transported by an A400M aircraft as part of B-FAST, the equipment will allow samples to be analysed on site. Kivu Morning Post says the operation is supported by the European Union and is part of scientific cooperation between Belgium and the DRC.

Belgium will send a mobile laboratory to Bunia, Ituri, to support the clinical trial of a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus. Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot announced the operation on 29 October 2026, according to Beto and Kivu Morning Post.

A Belgian Defence A400M aircraft will transport the equipment as part of the B-FAST mechanism. The laboratory will enable samples to be analysed on site and reduce the time needed to obtain results, according to Maxime Prévot. Kivu Morning Post says the operation is supported by the European Union and is part of scientific cooperation between Belgium and the DRC.

The clinical trial began in Bunia on 23 October. It is coordinated by the DRC’s National Institute for Biomedical Research and the University of Antwerp’s Global Health Institute, alongside an international consortium. The Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp is leading laboratory activities and analysis of immune responses after vaccination, according to Beto.

The Ervebo vaccine used in the response is approved against the Zaire strain, but not Bundibugyo, for which the World Health Organization says Ervebo’s effectiveness remains unknown, according to Beto. Kivu Morning Post also reports that Belgium is contributing to the fight against the epidemic through humanitarian aid and development cooperation focused in particular on prevention, community awareness and strengthening local health services.

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