Congo Seeks Experimental Ebola Antibody As Cases Surpass 1,000

(MENAFN- Live Mint) (Bloomberg) -- Congo is seeking access to an experimental antibody treatment targeting multiple Ebola strains as confirmed infections and deaths continue climbing in the country's conflict-hit east.

The Democratic Republic of Congo reported 121 confirmed Ebola cases and 17 confirmed deaths as of May 26, while suspected cases climbed to 1,077 and suspected deaths reached 238, according to health ministry figures released Wednesday. Sixteen new confirmed infections were recorded in Ituri province alone, the ministry said.

Eastern Congo faces a“catastrophic collision” of war and disease as fighting and displacement accelerate the spread of Ebola and undermine efforts to isolate patients and trace contacts, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned Wednesday, ahead of a planned visit to the country Thursday.

“We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” Tedros said in a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire.

The outbreak is straining fragile health systems in eastern Congo, where violence, mass displacement and distrust of authorities have complicated efforts to contain the spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. Health officials acknowledged persistent operational problems including weak contact tracing, delays in laboratory results, shortages of protective equipment and delays in establishing isolation facilities.

Congo formally requested access to an experimental monoclonal antibody developed in the US that has shown activity against the Zaire, Sudan and Bundibugyo strains of Ebola, Health Minister Roger Kamba said. The treatment would likely be evaluated through clinical trials involving confirmed patients.

The Bundibugyo strain has no approved vaccine or treatment. The WHO has warned the outbreak is spreading faster than responders can contain it after delayed detection allowed the virus to circulate across eastern Congo and into neighboring Uganda.

The outbreak now spans 13 health zones across the provinces of Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu, according to ministry data. New confirmed cases have also been reported in the North Kivu health zones of Oicha and Kalunguta, local health officials said.

In a potentially encouraging sign, the first patient known to have recovered from the current outbreak had been discharged from hospital, local media reported, citing health officials in Ituri.

Containment efforts continue to be hampered by insecurity and attacks on treatment facilities in outbreak areas. More than 15,500 travelers were screened at checkpoints and border-entry sites on May 26 alone, Congo's health ministry said. To date, Kenya has screened more than 55,000 travelers at ports of entry and tested 10 suspected Ebola cases, all of which were negative, the country's Ministry of Health said, as East African governments intensified surveillance measures across the region.

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