The latest Ebola outbreak in the Congo may be ended soon as a two new treatments have been developed in the decades long fight against the disease. The antibody-based treatments are working so well that it will be distributed to all Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Scientists said Monday that there is a 90% recovery rate for treated individuals. The effectiveness offers hope to people infected with the high-mortality virus that causes hemorrhagic fever. The disease has haunted the African continent for forty years; fear and mistrust have been major obstacles to treating the disease. In eastern Congo, which has been racked by civil unrest, rumors have spread that the disease is a myth, or that treatment teams are engaged in witchcraft to steal "precious bodily fluids" or body parts. The latest outbreak in the Congo has infected 2800 known patients, of which 1800 have died. This outbreak is the worst of the ten that Congo has endured.
The treatments are cocktails of monoclonal antibodies infused intravenously into a patient. The antibodies are created in the laboratory and attach themselves to the virus, preventing it from invading a cell and turning it into a zombie, producing more viruses. One of the cocktails is produced by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals of Tarrytown, N.Y. and the other by Ridgeback Biotherapeutics, a Miami company. Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe, director of Congo’s National Institute for
Biomedical Research, joined Dr. Fauci and Dr. Ryan, in announcing the
trial results. Both drugs will be produced to insure a supply if one source is disrupted.
Dr. Muyembe is credited with pioneering work that led to today's effective antibody treatments. Decades ago he used survivor's blood serum containing antibodies to save dying patients. Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases called Dr. Muyembe, a "true hero" who has been fighting the disease since 1976 when it first appeared in what was then Zaire. When contacted about the new treatments based on his research, he said he was "a little sentimental" because he had been waiting for this moment for a long time, but he is "very happy" that a cure has finally been developed.
Regeneron is offering its drug for free based on "compassionate use" according a company spokesperson. A price for the drug has not been established. Despite the existence of an effective treatment, the outbreak has spiraled out of control due to the adverse political circumstances in the region. The State Department prohibited Americans from working in the area due to security concerns. DRG's disease response has been hampered by yet another power struggle within the government. Dr. Muyembi is now heading a panel of experts who control of the government's disease response, and is making efforts to win the trust of residents by offering food, routine medical care, and vaccines against other diseases, like measles.