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\u201cMore recoveries are expected,\u00a0especially when people are diagnosed early and able to access care, and as\u00a0outbreak response\u00a0intensifies<\/strong>,\u201d the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said in an update on Sunday.<\/p>\n In\u00a0total, five people have recovered from the virus, the agency said, citing the case of a laboratory worker who was given the all-clear last Thursday.<\/p>\n The announcement is welcome news as the UN-partnered response ramps up to the outbreak of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, particularly because there is no licensed vaccine or treatment and which the WHO characterized as \u201ca disease you get when you care for someone<\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n As of Sunday, there\u00a0were\u00a0210\u00a0confirmed\u00a0cases\u00a0of infection reported\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0country,\u00a0with 17\u00a0confirmed\u00a0deaths.\u00a0Nearly 350 suspected\u00a0cases are\u00a0under\u00a0investigation and 16 health workers have contracted Ebola in DRC during this latest outbreak.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since\u00a0the\u00a0declaration of\u00a0the\u00a0Ebola\u00a0outbreak\u00a0on 15 May, key response measures have included laboratory testing, disease surveillance, infection prevention and control, community engagement\u00a0and\u00a0resource\u00a0mobilization.<\/p>\n In Bunia, the likely epicentre of the outbreak and capital of\u00a0Ituri province, WHO\u00a0has handed over a refurbished Ebola Treatment Centre\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0health authorities. The facility has\u00a024 beds with a total capacity of 60 beds. WHO is also setting up an annexe with up to 42 beds. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Getting on top of the outbreak has been complicated by the dire humanitarian situation in DRC\u2019s resource-rich far east, where decades of ongoing conflict have left 1.2 million people requiring assistance in Ituri province alone. Transmission has been concentrated in Ituri, as well as North Kivu and South Kivu provinces.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for the Bundibugyo virus that causes Ebola,\u00a0WHO advisory groups described several\u00a0candidate treatments\u00a0and\u00a0vaccines\u00a0as \u201cpromising enough\u201d to\u00a0warrant\u00a0prioritization for evaluation in clinical trials.\u00a0<\/p>\n WHO\u2019s role is to work with the health authorities in DRC and Uganda to\u00a0make this happen.<\/p>\n For confirmed cases, three candidate therapeutics for treatment have been prioritized for clinical trials: the monoclonal antibodies MBP 134 and maftivimab<\/strong>, and the antiviral remdesivir<\/strong>.<\/p>\n For prevention, the oral antiviral obeldesivir<\/strong> is being prioritized within a clinical study as a post-exposure measure for those who have been in contact with confirmed cases.<\/p>\n According to WHO, two candidate vaccines have been identified for evaluation once doses become available.<\/p>\n In the meantime, the agency stressed the key role of community engagement in ending transmission of the virus, which has a fatality rate of between 30 per cent and 50 per cent.<\/p>\n \u201cEbola caused by the Bundibugyo virus can be survived with good medical care, and some people here in\u00a0Ituri\u00a0have already recovered. Seeking care early makes a real difference\u2026It is not without hope,\u201d said WHO Director-General\u00a0Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking in Bunia\u00a0at the weekend.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n In an update on Friday, WHO highlighted that the outbreak in both DRC and neighbouring Uganda was evolving rapidly “with increasing case numbers, geographic spread, and ongoing cross-border transmission”. An additional confirmed case of an individual from the US who had treated patients in DRC is still receiving care in Germany.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nTreatments in pipeline<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Tedros solidarity call<\/strong><\/h2>\n