Residents in eastern Congo cling to hope as a new Ebola treatment trial begins
Researchers will test remdesivir and MBP134 in up to 1,000 patients as the outbreak grows and no licensed Ebola treatment exists.
- On Thursday, researchers launched a clinical trial at the Evangelical Medical Center in Bunia, DRC, evaluating whether the experimental antibody treatment MBP134 improves survival among patients infected with Bundibugyo Ebola.
- Unlike the Zaire strain, for which vaccines exist, no licensed treatment is currently available for the Bundibugyo Ebola species, which has already caused more than 1,400 diagnoses and 438 deaths.
- Community mistrust, overcrowded facilities, and insecurity hinder the outbreak response, with incident manager Pierre Akilimali noting that nearly 3 out of 4 Ebola deaths occur outside health centers.
- Survivor Gladys Munguro, discharged two weeks ago, called the experimental phase "necessary" to improve survival chances, while Bunia resident Audrey Tengetenge said the trials represent a "light at the end of the tunnel."
- Professor Placide Mbala, coordinator of laboratory activities, stated the research could continue for between three and six months, with a second phase eventually including healthcare workers and high-risk individuals.
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Residents in Congo cling to hope as Ebola treatment trial begins
Residents at the epicenter of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are pinning their hopes on experimental treatments after researchers began a highly anticipated study in early July of two possible Ebola treatments in hopes of fighting the still-growing outbreak. At the Ebola treatment center inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Center, in eastern Congo’s Ituri province, the launch of...
Q&A: ‘Still Hope’ for Ebola Treatment – DRC’s Muyembe
By Maghene Deba [KINSHASA, SciDev.Net] As the number of Bundibugyo Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) pushes past 1,000, doctors continue to fight the disease without a vaccine or cure. But the country’s top Ebola scientist tells SciDev.Net “there is still hope for this epidemic”. The outbreak detected in early May has spread rapidly across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu in Eastern DRC, and into neighbourin…
New Ebola treatment trial brings hope to Congo as outbreak death toll rises
Bunia, Congo: Residents in the epicentre of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are placing their hopes in experimental treatments after researchers launched a highly anticipated clinical trial in early July to evaluate two potential therapies against the virus.At the Ebola treatment centre within Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre in Ituri Province, the start of the study was marked by urgency rather than ceremony.As ambulances continued to arrive and healt…
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