A trial of potential treatments against the species of virus causing the current deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has begun, the World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.
The first patient was recruited in the Democratic Republic of Congo, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Thursday.
More than 1,400 cases and 438 deaths have been confirmed in the country, according to the WHO.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments against the Bundibugyo virus species, which is highly contagious.
The current trial is sponsored by the WHO and is coordinated by scientists from the National Institute of Biomedical Research of the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Institute of Tropical Medicine of Belgium and the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
Patients will be tested on two antiviral drugs.
Speaking to reporters at WHO headquarters in Geneva on Thursday, Tedros said: “Even without an approved therapeutic treatment, people recover from this disease, but of course we could save many more lives with safe and effective treatments in our toolbox. »
Congolese Health Minister Dr. Samuel Roger Kamba said the launch “represents a significant step forward, offering renewed hope to patients, their families and affected communities.”
The current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began in May, although transmission had gone undetected for some time.
The situation has been declared a public health emergency by the WHO, which says there have been 1,460 confirmed cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 150 suspected cases and 452 deaths, as of July 1. According to the WHO, 213 people have recovered.
As of July 1, there have also been 20 confirmed cases in Uganda, resulting in two deaths, and one confirmed case in France.
Ebola is caused by a virus that attacks the immune system and body organs.
It normally infects animals, usually fruit bats, but outbreaks in humans can sometimes begin when people handle infected animals. It is spread through bodily fluids like blood.
Congolese health authorities said the outbreak is currently limited to three eastern provinces: South Kivu, North Kivu and Ituri.
However, news agencies Reuters and AFP report that the body of a pregnant woman tested positive for Ebola in the neighboring province of Tshopo. The woman is believed to have died in Ituri, before her body was transported by motorbike to Kisangani, the main city of Tshopo, which has around 1.5 million inhabitants.
In addition, a person suspected of having Ebola reportedly fled an isolation unit in Ituri and subsequently tested positive in the neighboring province of Haut-Uélé.
Authorities have reportedly launched contact tracing efforts in Tshopo and Haut-Uele. Earlier this week, public gatherings were banned in these two provinces, as well as neighboring Bas-Uele and the capital Kinshsasa, to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.
People with Ebola usually only become contagious after developing symptoms, and it takes two to 21 days for symptoms to appear.
They appear suddenly and start like the flu or malaria with fever, headache and fatigue.
The Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry said it had improved diagnosis in the affected region. Previously, four laboratories were testing for Ebola, but this number has now increased to 10.
The current outbreak may be one of the largest on record, according to the Africa CDC and U.S. public health authorities, as it spread for weeks before it was confirmed to be Ebola.
International organizations also warn that the conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo is making it more difficult to combat the epidemic. The M23 rebel group controls large parts of North and South Kivu.
Vaccines need to be developed for each individual species of Ebola, of which there are six, but only three are known to cause outbreaks.