Ebola treatment trial begins in Congo as citizens mourn hundreds

Lead

A clinical trial of two potential treatments for the Ebola virus strain behind the current outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has begun, with the first patient enrolled, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The trial, supported by the WHO, comes as the outbreak, which began in May, has killed hundreds and spread beyond the DRC's borders.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the trial's start on Thursday, confirming that the first patient had been enrolled in the DRC. "The clinical trial of two therapeutics began, with the enrolment of the first patient," Tedros told reporters in Geneva. "Even without approved therapeutics, people are recovering from this disease, but of course, we could save many more lives with safe and effective therapeutics in our toolkit."

The trial focuses on the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a less common variant for which no specific treatments or vaccines are currently approved. The research is being conducted at the Ebola treatment centre inside Bunia's Evangelical Medical Centre, in eastern Congo's Ituri province, where the outbreak's epicentre is located.

Coverage Comparison

Reports from three international news organisations — AllAfrica, BBC World, and the South China Morning Post — all confirm the start of the trial and the enrolment of the first patient, as stated by WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. All three outlets also agree on the scale of the outbreak in the DRC: more than 1,400 confirmed cases and 438 deaths.

The BBC and the South China Morning Post provide additional details on the outbreak's timeline and spread. The BBC reports that the current outbreak in the DRC and Uganda began in May and has been declared a public health emergency by the WHO. The South China Morning Post, citing WHO data, notes that as of 30 June there were 1,406 confirmed cases in the DRC, with 301 suspected cases and 438 deaths.

There is minor variation in the figures reported: AllAfrica and the South China Morning Post cite "more than 1,400" cases, while the BBC specifies 1,406 confirmed cases as of 30 June. All sources attribute these figures to the WHO.

Key Claims

The trial is investigating two possible treatments for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. According to the South China Morning Post, the WHO-supported trial is a collaboration between the DRC's national biomedical research institute INRB, Britain's Oxford University, Belgium's Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and other international health groups. The BBC similarly identifies the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in the DRC, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Belgium, and the University of Oxford in the UK as coordinating scientists.

The outbreak has not been confined to the DRC. The BBC reports that there have been 20 confirmed cases in Uganda, leading to two deaths, and one confirmed case in France, as of 1 July. AllAfrica also mentions additional cases in Uganda and France, though with less specific figures.

The Bundibugyo strain is described as less common than other Ebola viruses, and there are no approved vaccines or treatments for it. The South China Morning Post notes that vaccines must be developed for each individual species of Ebola, of which there are six, but only three are known to cause outbreaks.

The WHO has declared the current outbreak a public health emergency, as the BBC reports. The trial aims to identify safe and effective therapies to reduce deaths, as the WHO hopes, according to AllAfrica.