Ebola Treatment Trial Begins in Democratic Republic of Congo

A trial of potential treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has begun in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization announced. The first patient has been enrolled in the trial, which is sponsored by the WHO and coordinated by scientists at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford in the UK.

Background on the outbreak The current outbreak began in May and has been declared a public health emergency by the WHO. As of 30 June, the WHO reported 1,406 confirmed cases and 438 deaths in the DRC, along with 301 suspected cases. Twenty confirmed cases and two deaths have been recorded in Uganda as of 1 July, and one confirmed case has been reported in France.

Details on the trial There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain. The WHO chief stated that the clinical trial of two therapeutics began with the enrollment of the first patient. "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," the WHO head said.

The virus attacks the body's immune system and organs. It normally infects animals such as fruit bats, and human outbreaks can begin when people handle infected animals. Symptoms appear between two and 21 days after infection and initially resemble flu or malaria.