New Ebola treatment trial brings hope to Congo as outbreak death toll rises

Bunia, Congo: Residents in the epicentre of Congo’s Ebola outbreak are placing their hopes in experimental treatments after researchers launched a highly anticipated clinical trial in early July to evaluate two potential therapies against the virus.

At the Ebola treatment centre within Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre in Ituri Province, the start of the study was marked by urgency rather than ceremony.

As ambulances continued to arrive and healthcare workers entered isolation wards in full protective equipment, the research proceeded alongside the daily effort to save patients’ lives.

The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a less common variant for which no specific treatment or vaccine currently exists. More than 1,400 people have been diagnosed and 438 have died, according to World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The WHO announced on Thursday that the first participant had been enrolled in the study, which is assessing whether the antiviral drug remdesivir, the experimental antibody treatment MBP134, or a combination of both can improve survival rates among patients infected with the Bundibugyo virus.

According to WHO research adviser Dr Vasee Moorthy, patient survival will be monitored for 28 days after treatment begins.

The WHO-backed trial is being conducted in collaboration with Congo’s National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB), the University of Oxford, the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp, and other international health organisations.

Professor Yap Boum, Head of Emergency Response at the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the current phase of the trial focuses on confirmed Ebola patients receiving treatment in specialised centres. A second phase is expected to include healthcare workers, close contacts of infected individuals and others at high risk of infection.

Professor Placide Mbala, coordinator of laboratory activities for the outbreak, said the study could continue for between three and six months, depending on how the outbreak develops.

For many residents of Bunia, the start of the trial offers a rare source of optimism after weeks of growing concern.

Audrey Tengetenge, a resident of Bunia, described the research as a “light at the end of the tunnel”.

“I hope everything moves very quickly so that we can find relief. We want nothing more than an end to this very dangerous disease, which continues to bring us grief,” she said.

Gladys Munguro, an Ebola survivor who was discharged from a treatment centre two weeks ago, said she witnessed fellow patients die while receiving care.

Now recovered, she hopes the treatments being tested will improve survival rates and help bring the outbreak under control.

“This experimental phase is necessary for us,” Munguro told The Associated Press. “I will volunteer as soon as the next phase of the trials begins for high-risk individuals.”

However, researchers face significant challenges, including pockets of mistrust within the community.

Nelson Dhebi, a shopkeeper in Bunia, said he supports scientific research and hopes for positive results, but remains concerned about possible risks associated with the treatments.

“Research should be carried out first and foremost on our elected representatives, as they are the ones who represent us,” he said.

Community mistrust is among several obstacles hampering the response. Overcrowded treatment centres, delays in seeking medical care and insecurity in conflict-affected areas continue to undermine containment efforts.

Pierre Akilimali, Incident Manager at Congo’s National Institute of Public Health, said nearly three out of four Ebola deaths in the current outbreak occur outside healthcare facilities.

Currently, the trial is available only at Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Centre in Ituri. The region has been heavily affected by violence, including attacks targeting healthcare workers responding to the outbreak.

Officials plan to expand the study to additional locations once security conditions allow.