“More recoveries are expected, especially as people are diagnosed early and can access care, and as the outbreak response intensifies.“said the UN World Health Organization (WHO) in an update on Sunday.
In total, five people have recovered from the virus, the agency said, citing the case of a laboratory worker who was discharged last Thursday.
The announcement is welcome news as the UN response to the Ebola outbreak caused by the Bundibugyo virus intensifies, particularly as there is no approved vaccine or treatment and which the WHO characterized as “A disease you contract when you care for someone.”.
As of Sunday, 210 cases of infection had been confirmed in the country, with 17 confirmed deaths. Nearly 350 suspected cases are under investigation and 16 health workers contracted Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during this latest outbreak.
Since the Ebola outbreak was declared on May 15, key response measures have included laboratory testing, disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, community engagement, and resource mobilization.
In Bunia, the probable epicenter of the outbreak and capital of the province of Ituri, the WHO has handed over a renovated Ebola treatment center to health authorities. The facility has 24 beds with a total capacity of 60 beds. WHO is also setting up an annex with up to 42 beds.
Overcoming the outbreak has been complicated by the dire humanitarian situation in the resource-rich far east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where decades of ongoing conflict have left 1.2 million people in need of assistance in Ituri province alone. Transmission has been concentrated in Ituri, as well as in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu.
Treatments in process
Although there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus that causes Ebola, WHO advisory groups described several candidate treatments and vaccines as “promising enough” to warrant prioritization for evaluation in clinical trials.
WHO’s role is to work with health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to make this happen.
For confirmed cases, three candidate treatment therapies have been prioritized for clinical trials: monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimaband the antiviral remdesivir.
For prevention, oral antiviral obeldesivir It is being prioritized within a clinical study as a post-exposure measure for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.
According to the WHO, two vaccine candidates have been identified for evaluation once doses are available.
Tedros solidarity call
Meanwhile, the agency highlighted the key role of community participation in ending transmission of the virus, which has a mortality rate of between 30 and 50 percent.
“Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care, and some people here in Ituri have already recovered. Seeking early care makes a real difference… It is not without hope,” said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Bunia at the weekend.
In an update on Friday, the WHO highlighted that the outbreak in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Uganda was evolving rapidly “with increasing case numbers, geographic spread and ongoing cross-border transmission.” Another confirmed case of a US individual who had treated patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is still receiving care in Germany.
