A race against a deadly outbreak: Five manufacturers have been shortlisted to develop a rapid antigen test for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, with field trials in eastern Congo potentially starting as early as mid-July. The ongoing outbreak has infected over 1,400 people and killed 438 across three Congolese provinces. Currently, no approved rapid test exists for this strain, forcing health workers to wait days for lab results.
A race against a deadly outbreak
Five manufacturers — two in West Africa, two in South Korea, and one in the U.S. — have been shortlisted from 21 candidates to develop a rapid antigen test for the Bundibugyo Ebola virus, according to FIND, the Geneva-based diagnostics nonprofit leading the effort. Field trials in eastern Congo could begin as early as mid-July, pending regulatory approvals. Crucially, unlike previous Ebola outbreaks where rapid tests were only used on deceased patients, the goal this time is to test live patients using blood samples.
The urgency is real. The outbreak, declared on May 15, has infected 1,406 people and killed 438 across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu — with possible exposures being traced in two additional provinces. Responders are battling a fragile health system strained by foreign aid cuts, poor infrastructure, and deep community distrust.
By the Numbers
Why it matters: Rapid antigen tests could dramatically speed up case identification and isolation decisions — something lab-based testing, hampered by unreliable power and poor roads, simply can't deliver at the needed scale and speed.
