Health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo are urgently seeking access to an experimental Ebola antibody treatment as infections and deaths continue rising during a worsening outbreak in the country’s conflict-hit eastern provinces. The outbreak, involving the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, has raised major global health concerns because there is currently no approved vaccine or standard treatment specifically targeting this strain.
According to Congo’s health ministry, the country had recorded 121 confirmed Ebola cases and 17 confirmed deaths as of May 27. Suspected infections surged to 1,077, while suspected deaths climbed to 238. Sixteen new confirmed cases were reported in Ituri province alone.
Also read:EXCLUSIVE: The Trusted Ebola Vaccine Challenge And Why It's Not Like COVID Shots
The experimental Ebola antibody being requested by Congo is a monoclonal antibody therapy, also known as MP314, developed in the United States. Scientists say the treatment has shown activity against multiple Ebola strains, including the Zaire strain, Sudan strain, and Bundibugyo strain.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins designed to help the immune system recognise and neutralise dangerous viruses more effectively. Health Minister Roger Kamba said the therapy would likely be introduced through carefully monitored clinical trials involving confirmed Ebola patients.
MP314 - unlike older and approved monoclonal therapies like Inmazeb and Ebanga – acts as a broad-spectrum therapeutic. It is engineered with neutralizing human antibodies that attack the viral glycoprotein. Experts say the antibody binds to the virus's outer spikes, effectively neutralizing the pathogen and blocking its entry into the body's cells.
The antibodies that make up MBP134 were isolated from a human survivor of the 2014-2016 West African Ebola outbreak. Experts believe the treatment could become critically important because the Bundibugyo Ebola strain currently lacks approved vaccines or widely available antiviral therapies. The cocktail, developed by Dr. James Crowe of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center and licensed to San Diego-based Mapp Biopharmaceutical, is currently used for treatment of high-risk US individuals – exposed to deadly viruses.
The current outbreak is unfolding in eastern Congo, a region already destabilised by armed conflict, mass displacement, weak healthcare systems, and attacks on medical facilities. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, warned that eastern Congo faces a “catastrophic collision” between war and infectious disease. “We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,” Tedros said while calling for an immediate ceasefire. Violence and insecurity have made it difficult for health workers to:
Red Cross workers bury an Ebola victim at the Rwampara Cemetery, in Rwampara (Pic: AP)
The outbreak now spans 13 health zones across Ituri, North Kivu, and South Kivu provinces.
Source: India Latest News, Breaking News Today, Top News Headlines | Times Now
