Five experimental treatments for Ebola will be made available in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the country faces a growing outbreak from the virus and a rising death toll.
Until now, treatment for the virus involved keeping patients hydrated with IV fluids and lowering blood pressure with oxygen. The illness is deadly when left untreated, causing vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and bleeding.
Patients need to consent to using the experimental drugs, which include Zmapp, a serum that was used to treat U.S. patients who had been working as missionaries during the 2015 outbreak in West Africa that resulted in more than 11,300 deaths.
The latest report from the World Health Organization shows that an estimated 25 people have died from the virus and 56 more are suspected to be infected. The virus emerged in rural areas known as Bikoro and Iboko, but then spread 90 miles away to Mbandaka, a city with more than 1.2 million residents.
Health officials have developed screening procedures throughout the country to monitor the spread of the virus.
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