Typhoon Maysak to make landfall in south China's Hainan

The 10th typhoon of this year, Maysak, is forecast to make landfall in south China's Hainan Province on Friday afternoon,the provincial meteorological service said.

Upon landfall, it will mark the first typhoon to hit China this year, with authorities already raising alerts and bracing for impact.

The service upgraded its typhoon alert from Level IV to Level III at 6:30 on Friday, as tropical storm Maysak developed. It is forecast to land between Sanya and Lingshui in the southern part of the Hainan island.

Provincial authorities have imposed comprehensive transport suspensions across the island province. All inter-island train services are suspended on Friday and Saturday. Roll-on/roll-off ferry services across the Qiongzhou Strait were suspended at 2:00 on Friday, with this suspension expected to last one to two days, pending real-time weather conditions.

At 5:00 on Friday, Maysak's center was positioned 155 km southeast of Lingshui County, packing winds of up to 18 meters per second, and moving northwestward at 10 to 15 km per hour, while gaining strength.

Due to the typhoon's impact, heavy rain was forecast to lash Hainan on Friday and Saturday. Eleven cities and counties will receive accumulated rainfall between 150 and 250 millimeters. Some areas will see extreme downpours exceeding 350 millimeters.

Provincial meteorological authorities have issued safety reminders urging offshore platforms and vessels to take shelter immediately, while calling on local governments to tighten safety management of fishing boats and coastal mountain tourism sites.

Typhoon Maysak is forcing school closures across parts of Hainan.

In Wanning, all kindergartens are closed on Friday, while primary and secondary schools and tutoring centers will shut down Friday afternoon and evening.

Sanya, Qionghai, and Lingshui have also suspended classes at kindergartens and early childhood centers, along with all group activities.

In addition, authorities in Jiangmen, Guangdong, have suspended related ferry services in Taishan City on Friday, with services to be resumed based on real-time wind assessments.

The national railway's Guangzhou bureau has also adjusted train schedules due to the typhoon's impact.

Typhoon Maysak to make landfall in south China's Hainan

The World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday that a clinical trial of two therapeutics had begun enrolling patients in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) to evaluate potential treatments for the Bundibugyo Ebola strain.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a media briefing that the trial will evaluate the monoclonal antibody MBP134 and the antiviral drug remdesivir -- both alone and in combination -- to determine whether they can improve survival among patients diagnosed with Bundibugyo virus disease.

Patients enrolled will receive "comprehensive supportive care and close follow-up," Tedros said, adding that WHO is working to ensure access to the drugs should they prove safe and effective.

Meanwhile, Vasee Moorthy, acting lead for the Research and Development Blueprint in WHO's Office of the Chief Scientist, cautioned that it could take months and even go into next year to get the results, and more than 1,000 patients may need to be enrolled before a definitive answer emerges, or it could be earlier if there's a very high efficacy from the trial.

The trial came as the epidemic continues to expand, with an average of 38 new confirmed cases every day for the past two weeks.

According to the latest data released by the DR Congo government on Thursday, Ebola cases in the country had risen to 1,460, including 447 deaths.

A total of 595 patients were currently in isolation or hospitalized, while 213 patients had recovered. The rate of contact follow-up across the three affected provinces stood at 82.7 percent, the data showed.

WHO begins clinical trial to evaluate potential Ebola treatments in DR Congo