WHO and Equatorial Guinea Discuss Experimental Therapies – El Financiero
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The World Health Organization (WHO) indicated today that it is in contact with the Ministry of Health in Equatorial Guinea initiation of possible experimental therapies against Marburg virus, A disease from which at least nine people died in a recent outbreak in the African country.
The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made it clear today at a press conference that at the moment There are no treatments or vaccines for this Ebola-like disease. But there are investigations about product candidates.
“Any decision to start trials will be in the hands of the national authorities and researchers in Equatorial Guinea,” he said.
Yesterday, Tuesday, the World Health Organization organized a meeting of experts to analyze candidate vaccines against the disease, and according to Tedros, a committee will now be responsible for determining which of them will have priority in future research and potential clinical trials.
Tedros stressed that at the moment no cases have been detected in Equatorial Guinea’s neighboring countries (Gabon and Cameroon), but WHO is in contact with both governments for rapid detection of possible infections, and is also providing assistance from experts in the field of prevention and control to Equatorial Guinea.
Equatorial Guinea confirmed on the 13th day the first outbreak of Marburg virus disease in the province of Qui Ntim, in the western part of the continental part of the African country and bordering Cameroon and Gabon.
this The virus causes viral hemorrhagic fever A highly contagious disease from the same family as the more well-known Ebola virus disease.
were discovered in the past buds And sporadic cases of this disease in other African countries such as Ghana, Guinea, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda.
The disease is as deadly as Ebola and is estimated to have killed more than 3,500 people in Africa.
It was first discovered in 1967 In the German city of Marburg – the origin of its name – by laboratory technicians who became infected while investigating monkeys brought from Uganda.
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