The World Health Organization announced that the first patient has been enrolled in a clinical trial testing treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The enrollment marks the beginning of an effort to evaluate potential therapies for an outbreak that, to date, has produced more than 1,400 cases and 438 deaths, the WHO said.
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters the trial initiation is a key development in the response, but he also stressed persistent obstacles. "Despite all this progress, we continue to face significant challenges, including mistrust and violence," he said, citing an attack on an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri province in which two people were killed as an example of those challenges.
There are currently no approved vaccines or treatments specific to the Bundibugyo strain, the WHO noted. The new trial is designed to include more than 1,000 patients and could take months to complete. It will test Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental antibody MBP134 as a standalone therapy and in combination with the antiviral drug remdesivir, produced by Gilead Sciences.
The WHO said there are sufficient supplies of the drugs for the trial. It also said it is in discussions with the United States, which donated supplies of MBP134, and with Gilead to plan for patient access to the medicines after the trials if they prove to be safe and effective.
On the operational side, Tedros reported some improvements in diagnostics and follow-up work. There are now 10 laboratories capable of testing for Ebola. Follow-up efforts are reaching four in five identified contacts, though the WHO acknowledged that additional contacts still need to be identified for each case.
Treatment capacity has expanded, the WHO said, now standing at 650 beds across response facilities. Approximately 96% of that capacity is currently occupied. Tedros said the WHO and its partners are working to add another 300 beds to increase patient care capacity.
In a separate announcement, the WHO declared the hantavirus outbreak tied to a cruise ship to be over. The agency said the final identified contact of an exposed person completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus. That outbreak infected 13 people and resulted in three deaths, and it involved the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain that typically circulates in Argentina and Chile.
The WHO’s updates outlined both advances in the technical and logistical response to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak and the persistent security and trust-related obstacles that complicate care delivery and containment efforts.