WHO convened a series of meetings with the expert and advisory groups for prevention and treatment of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) currently outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) that is occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, with cases also reported in Uganda.
The WHO advisory groups recommended that all the products identified and considered be used exclusively within clinical trials to generate robust data and ensure safe, ethical, and effective research.
In parallel, WHO also convened the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) and its Ebola vaccine working group to advise on the potential role of licensed Ebola vaccines during BVD outbreaks, said WHO press note.
Currently, as there are no licensed therapeutics or vaccines specifically approved for the prevention and treatment of BVD WHO is now working closely with the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda to facilitate the implementation of research evaluation of these products.
WHO, the governments of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the ANRS Emerging infectious diseases (French National Agency for Research on AIDS and Viral Hepatitis), and other scientific partners are working together to develop and implement appropriate protocols to assess the safety and efficacy of the prioritized therapeutics through clinical field trials.
In the meantime, the WHO R&D Blueprint aims to fast-track the availability of proven effective tests, vaccines, and medicines that can be used to save lives and avert large-scale crises.
Meanwhile, it has been said that Hantavirus cluster is linked to cruise ship travel. Since the last DON was published on 13 May, three additional confirmed cases were reported, from Canada, the Netherlands, and Spain. As of 27 May, a total of 13 cases, including three deaths, have been reported (case fatality ratio 23%). Eleven cases have been laboratory-confirmed for Andes virus (ANDV) infection, and two are probable cases.
WHO has assessed the risk posed by this event to the global population as low and will continue to monitor the epidemiological situation and update the risk assessment as needed.
