In brief
The WHO has begun a clinical trial to test potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola that is causing a severe outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The first patient was enrolled in the DRC, marking a major step in controlling the disease. More than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths have been reported in the DRC alone, with the outbreak declared a public health emergency. Scientists from the DRC, Belgium, and the UK are coordinating the trial, which could provide a much-needed arsenal of therapeutics for future outbreaks.
Ebola Treatment Trial Launches in DRC
WHO announces the start of a clinical trial testing two experimental therapies for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. The first patient was enrolled in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, a crucial move amid an outbreak that has left more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths in the country.
The trial is coordinated by researchers at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale (DRC), the Institute of Tropical Medicine (Belgium) and the University of Oxford (UK). It aims to evaluate whether the therapies can significantly improve recovery rates in patients suffering from this highly infectious virus.
"Even without approved therapeutics, people are recovering from this disease, but of course, we could save many more lives with safe and effective therapeutics in our toolkit," WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
The Bundibugyo strain, one of six known Ebola viruses (three of which cause outbreaks in humans), is known to infect fruit bats and can spill over to humans when infected animals are handled. Symptoms appear two to 21 days after exposure and include fever, headache and fatigue.
In addition to the trial, the WHO has declared the outbreak a public health emergency and is closely monitoring subsequent case numbers: 20 confirmed cases and 2 deaths in Uganda, and one case in France.
