Ebola Drug and Vaccine Trials Accelerate in Congo

Testing of experimental treatments, preventive medicines and vaccines for the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola is progressing rapidly during the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

The epidemic is the second-largest and fastest-spreading on record. There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo strain.

WHO said research protocols developed before the outbreak had allowed clinical trials to begin more quickly than during previous Ebola epidemics. However, it cautioned that promising laboratory results must still be confirmed in clinical trials.

Despite efforts by healthcare workers, the outbreak has not yet been brought under control.

As of 1 August, the country had recorded 3,748 confirmed cases and 1,657 deaths across 49 health zones in five provinces. About 17,000 contacts remain under monitoring.

(Reuters, mja)