Ebola Continues To Rage In Congo, Human Vaccine Test Begins

KINSHASA: The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has recorded 2,905 confirmed Ebola cases including 1,269 deaths, according to a Health Ministry update on Friday, reported Xinhua.

The ministry said the sharp increase in the cumulative total is largely due to the integration of databases from Ituri and North Kivu provinces into the national database on Wednesday, including previously unrecorded cases.

According to the ministry, the increase does not solely reflect new cases reported within a 24-hour period.

A total of 97 confirmed cases and 62 deaths were reported on Wednesday, while 519 patients have recovered and 722 more are still in isolation or receiving treatment.

While visiting Kisangani, the capital of Tshopo province, on Thursday, Prime Minister Judith Suminwa Tuluka said many patients only seek treatment after developing severe symptoms, thus complicating efforts to treat them.

She said the government will intensify community-level training and awareness campaigns to encourage suspected infected individuals to seek earlier treatment.

The government has also allocated US$50 million to address the Ebola outbreak, with priority given to laboratories, medical equipment, community surveillance and patient care, she said.

Meanwhile, Oxford University on Friday announced that the first volunteer has received an injection in the world’s first human trial of a vaccine developed to protect against the Bundibugyo ebolavirus, which is causing the current outbreak.

The vaccine candidate, ChAdOx1 BDBV, was developed by the Oxford Vaccine Group and the Pandemic Sciences Institute at the university.

According to Oxford University, the Serum Institute of India has produced and stored approximately 620,000 doses of the vaccine, including 4,000 study doses supplied for the trial.

The phase one study is expected to involve approximately 50 healthy adults, with the primary focus on assessing the vaccine’s safety and the participants’ immune responses.

Further clinical studies are also planned in collaboration with partners in Uganda, subject to regulatory authority approval, according to the university.

BERNAMA