NIH Starts Human Trials on Possible Ebola Treatment

Posted by nnlmscr on May 29th, 2018 Posted in: Blog, Clinical Trials, Disaster, Emergency Preparedness, NIH, Public Health, Research

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The National Institute of Health has started human trials on a possible Ebola treatment.  Researchers have been working hard to find a cure for Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) since the fatality rate for those who contract the disease averages nearly 50%

Ebola first appeared in 1976 in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  The disease is believed to be spread through fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family.  Ebola can enter the human population through close contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected animals.  Human-to-human transmission occurs through direct contact with blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people which is why health care workers treating EVD are often infected.

The CDC states symptoms may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus, with an average of 8 to 10 days and include:

• Fever
• Severe headache
• Muscle pain
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Diarrhea
• Vomiting
• Abdominal (stomach) pain
• Unexplained hemorrhage (bleeding or bruising)

There is not a current proven treatment for EDV so the start of the NIH trial is an important step forward.  “We hope this trial will establish the safety of this experimental treatment for Ebola virus disease — an important first step in a larger evaluation process. Ebola is highly lethal, and reports of another outbreak in the DRC remind us that we urgently need Ebola treatments,” said NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D

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