GENEVA, July 4 — A treatment trial for the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo enrolled its first patient on Thursday, marking a milestone in efforts to combat the epidemic, World Health Organisation (WHO) director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters.
Tedros, however, cited an attack on an Ebola treatment centre in Ituri province in which two people died as a sign of ongoing difficulties in tackling the spread of the disease.
“Despite all this progress, we continue to face significant challenges, including mistrust and violence,” he said.
There are no approved vaccines or treatments for Ebola’s Bundibugyo strain, which has sparked more than 1,400 cases in DRC, including 438 deaths.
DRC has recorded an average of 38 new confirmed cases a day over the past two weeks, Tedros said.
The trial, which could take months to complete and includes more than 1,000 patients, will evaluate Mapp Biopharmaceutical’s experimental MBP134 antibody as a standalone treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola, as well as in combination with Gilead Sciences’ antiviral drug remdesivir, WHO said.
There are enough drug supplies for the trials, according to WHO, which said it was in discussions with the United States, which donated supplies of MBP134, and Gilead to ensure patients would be able to access the drugs after the trials if they are shown to be safe and effective.
Gilead said on Thursday that it has donated more than 2,000 vials of remdesivir for the trial, in addition to the 2,000 vials it provided for emergency use in June.
Tedros also said other parts of the response are showing improvement: There are now 10 laboratories that can test for Ebola and follow-ups are being conducted for four in five contacts, although more contacts still need to be identified per case.
Treatment capacity has also expanded, with 650 beds available, of which about 96 per cent are occupied. Tedros said WHO and its partners are working to add 300 beds.
Separately, WHO also declared the hantavirus outbreak linked to a cruise ship over after the last identified contact of an exposed person completed quarantine and tested negative for the virus.
The outbreak, which infected 13 people and killed three, involved the Andes virus, a rare hantavirus strain that typically circulates in Argentina and Chile.
