The Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), Dr. Jean Kaseya, has openly called out international pharmaceutical partners over the lack of an approved vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus, citing systemic global neglect of diseases primarily impacting the African continent.
Dr. Kaseya made the remarks on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief, following Nigeria’s confirmation of an imported Bundibugyo Ebola case in Abuja involving a traveler from Uganda.
”If this outbreak was in Western countries, a vaccine would already be available,” Dr. Kaseya asserted. “Why is this vaccine today not available? Because some of our partners decided to consider this issue as an African issue—they were not interested.”
Neglect vs. Necessity
Unlike the Zaire strain—which triggered major global funding drives after causing more than 16 outbreaks—the Bundibugyo variant has historically received limited international research and funding due to its less frequent appearance.
