Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo driven by a strain approved drugs cannot treat
An Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo is being driven by the Bundibugyo strain, which the world's two approved Ebola drugs were not designed to treat. The virus has crossed into Uganda and the World Health Organization has declared a global health emergency. More than fourteen hundr
Congo's Ebola outbreak is caused by Bundibugyo, a less common member of the Ebola family, and it began in Ituri Province in May before crossing into neighbouring Uganda. The two monoclonal antibody treatments approved after earlier trials in Congo were designed for the Zaire strain and are not certified against Bundibugyo. As of the end of June, more than fourteen hundred people were confirmed infected, over four hundred had died and around two hundred had recovered, with hundreds more hospitalised in isolation. The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern in May, and this week researchers launched a study of two possible treatments whose effectiveness against this strain has not yet been proven in a trial. Sources: WHO Disease Outbreak News, ECDC, NBC News, Forbes, CDC.