Ebola cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have grown to 1,561 while deaths have surged to 506. The virus is still spreading as new treatment trials begin.

DR Congo Begins Ebola Treatment Trial

This is the largest ever Ebola outbreak, and it has yet to reach its peak. Researchers began the study of two possible treatments on Thursday at the Ebola treatment center inside Bunia’s Evangelical Medical Center, in eastern Congo’s Ituri province.

Vaccine candidates are also in the works, as health care officials struggle to contain the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola. This particular strain of the virus is not as familiar as the more common Zaire strain. There are three main possible vaccines, and all are being fast-tracked for sooner use.

Three New Vaccine Candidates For Ebola Are Being “Fast-Tracked”

On Thursday, World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced more than 1,400 people had been diagnosed, and 438 had died from Bundibugyo. By Sunday, those numbers had jumped.

The trial “offers real hope that we can deliver concrete results for, and with, the communities at the heart of the outbreak,” Dr. Tedros said in a statement, according to ABC News Australia. 

The drug trials will take months, and at least 1,000 participants will be needed to ensure efficacy.

Once a participant begins the trial, survival will be tracked for 28 days after starting treatment. However, if one or the other drug is shown to be highly effective, scientists will be able to tell more quickly and with fewer patients, Tedros added.

Then the second phase of the trial will begin. That will include healthcare workers and others in close contact with the infected Ebola patients.

This is not going to be a “quick fix,” though. Depending on the outbreak’s evolution, the research could continue for six or more months after healthcare workers finish their trial, Professor Placide Mbala said, the coordinator of laboratory activities for the current outbreak.