Ebola treatments trial begins in the Democratic Republic of Congo
The World Health Organization has announced the start of a clinical trial for potential treatments against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is causing the current outbreak in the DRC and Uganda. The first patient has been enrolled.
The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that a trial of potential treatments for the Ebola virus strain behind the current deadly outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Thursday that the first patient has been enrolled in the DRC.
According to WHO data, more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths have been reported in the DRC as of 30 June, along with 301 suspected cases. In Uganda, 20 confirmed cases and two deaths have been recorded as of 1 July, and one case has been confirmed in France.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the highly infectious Bundibugyo strain. The trial is sponsored by the WHO and coordinated by scientists from the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford in the UK.
Tedros noted that even without approved therapeutics, people are recovering, but safe and effective treatments could save many more lives. The outbreak began in May and has been declared a public health emergency. The virus normally infects animals like fruit bats, and human outbreaks can occur when people handle infected animals. Symptoms appear suddenly after an incubation period of 2 to 21 days, starting with fever, headache, and fatigue, similar to flu or malaria.
