DR Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 1,700 as WHO accelerates trials

The outbreak is concentrated in the province of Ituri, which accounts for nearly 90 percent of reported cases.The death toll from the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak has risen above 1,700, as the World Health Organization (WHO) says trials of experimental treatments, preventive medicines and vaccines are advancing at unprecedented speed.The outbreak, caused by the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus, has killed 1,707 people out of 3,802 recorded cases since it was declared on May 15, according to the latest government figures. More than 17,000 contacts are being monitored, with about 80 percent followed up each day, WHO data show.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Cars burn in reported settler attack in occupied West Banklist 2 of 4US primaries: What to watch in Kansas, Missouri, Virginia, Washingtonlist 3 of 4Palestinian patients return to Gaza as thousands still await evacuationlist 4 of 4Tech giant Palantir posts ‘otherworldly’ growth despite criticism over Gazaend of listThe epidemic is now the second-largest Ebola outbreak on record and the fastest growing. Unlike previous outbreaks caused by other strains of the virus, there are no approved vaccines or treatments for the Bundibugyo variant.Speaking to reporters in Geneva on Tuesday, Vasee Moorthy, acting head of the WHO’s R&D Blueprint programme, said years of advance planning had allowed researchers to begin testing experimental treatments much sooner than in previous outbreaks.“If you compare this outbreak to previous Ebola outbreaks, we have been able to start trials more quickly,” he said. “It’s true that the preclinical data that we’re seeing is promising.”Moorthy cautioned that only clinical trials would determine whether the experimental medicines and vaccines are effective.WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is due to arrive in the Congolese capital Kinshasa on Tuesday before travelling later this week to Bunia, near the centre of the outbreak.Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya, who was also in Bunia on Tuesday during his second visit to the region, said it remained unclear when the outbreak would reach its peak.