Healthcare workers carry on a stretcher a patient suffering from the Ebola virus disease from an ambulance at the Ebola Treatment Center (ETC) in Bunia, Ituri, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo on June 23, 2026. (Photo by Benediction MURHABAZI / AFP)
Trials of two separate potential treatments to fight the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo are expected to begin next week, the World Health Organisation said on Wednesday.
A total of 1,048 Ebola cases, including 277 deaths, have been confirmed in DR Congo since the outbreak was declared on May 15 — although many experts believe the true toll is significantly higher.
This outbreak is down to the rare Bundibugyo species of Ebola virus — for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday that “preparations are now complete for a trial of two therapeutics that’s expected to start in DRC next week”.
