As the Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain continues in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that early detection and community mobilization remain critical to saving lives, while potential treatments and vaccines are still being assessed.
As of Friday, WHO estimated 906 suspected cases in the DR Congo, including 223 suspected deaths.
Confirmed cases stand at 134 in DR Congo, with 17 confirmed deaths. Uganda has reported nine confirmed cases, including one death.
The WHO said that it is currently working with the governments of DR Congo and Uganda to advance the evaluation of drugs and vaccines, while expanding medical treatment capacity. Three candidate therapeutic drugs and two candidate vaccines have been included for further research.
"Now we have this candidate therapeutics and vaccine, WHO is working closely with the governments of both countries to support the assessment of these candidate medical countermeasures, while at the same time and urgently, scaling up care capacities to ensure all patients in those affected communities can access optimized supportive care that can help save lives," said Anais Legand, a WHO technical officer.
WHO says early detection key as Ebola vaccines under assessment
