DRC Ebola Outbreak Reaches 625 Total Cases; Experts Discuss Current Containment Efforts, Including Experimental Vaccines, Treatments

CIDRAP News: Ebola outbreak continues to grow in multiple DRC sites
“Over the weekend and through [Monday], the ministry of health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) recorded 16 new Ebola cases from towns and cities across North Kivu and Ituri provinces, including Butembo (6 cases), Katwa (5), Oicha (2), and one each in Mabalako, Kyondo, and Kalunguta. The outbreak now stands at 625 cases, of which 577 are confirmed and 48 are probable. A total of 377 deaths have been recorded, and 101 suspected cases are still under investigation…” (Soucheray, 1/7).

MedPage Today: Ebola in the DRC: Will New Tx Bring Hope in the New Year?
“…In this exclusive MedPage Today video, two infectious disease experts — Peter Hotez, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston and Aneesh Mehta, MD, of Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta — discuss current efforts to contain the outbreak through vaccination, as well as hope for new therapeutics currently being studied more carefully in clinical trials. Hotez and Mehta also address the problem of civil unrest disrupting disease prevention and treatment…” (Walker, 1/7).

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