Moscow/Cape Town: Russian scientists have developed a vaccine against a new strain of the Ebola virus, Moscow authorities said. The Russian Embassy in South Africa posted on X that Health Minister Mikhail Murashko announced the vaccine, which may also offer protection against the rare Bundibugyo strain linked to the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
The WHO on May 25 said the outbreak in the DRC is spreading rapidly and that the confirmed figures likely understate the true scale. Official tallies show 101 confirmed cases and 10 confirmed deaths, but WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said there are more than 900 suspected cases and about 220 suspected deaths. The outbreak, declared a public health emergency of international concern on May 17, has also spread to Uganda, which has reported five confirmed cases and one death.
DR Congo Health Minister Roger Kamba said the outbreak is still at an early stage but that infections and deaths continue to rise. Authorities have identified around 1,000 suspected cases in affected areas, of which 101 have tested positive. The Bundibugyo strain, which officials say is less lethal than the Zaire strain, is responsible for the current outbreak; there is presently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for Bundibugyo Ebola.
Ebola virus disease is a severe, often fatal illness that is transmitted from wild animals to humans and then between people through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of infected persons, or via contaminated surfaces and materials. Case fatality rates have varied widely in past outbreaks, averaging around 50 per cent. The deadliest recent episode was the 2014–2016 West Africa outbreak, which caused more cases and deaths than all previous outbreaks combined.
(Inputs from IANS)