New Ebola vaccine trial launches as outbreak spreads in DR Congo
Results may be months away, but efforts are advancing towards enhanced treatment and the world’s first vaccine for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday as deaths and cases rise in the largest ever outbreak on record in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Compared to previous Ebola outbreaks, trials started more quickly this time as protocols had been written before the current one was declared in DRC in mid-May, said Vasee Moorthy, acting lead of WHO ’s R&D Blueprint , a global platform for research and development collaboration to respond to epidemics and pandemics. Despite ongoing efforts, there are still no proven safe and efficacious treatment, preventive or vaccination options for the Bundibugyo species of the Ebola virus, Dr. Moorthy told reporters in Geneva. However, it would likely still be several months before more definite conclusions could be drawn from the ongoing trials, he said.
The text below was supplied by the Scoop Newsroom app. Third-party reporting is attributed in the source panel.
New data has also emerged in animal studies on the licensed vaccine Ervebo, targeting a different Ebola strain, according to WHO. The UN emergency food agency appealed for immediate funding on Wednesday, warning that deepening hunger is undermining the response to an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has now infected more than 3,200 people.
