World’s First Ebola Treatment Approved By FDA

Topline

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced approval Wednesday of the world’s first successful treatment for the Ebola virus, one of the deadliest pathogens on the planet.

Key Facts

Key Background

The last major Ebola outbreak in the DRC was in August, 2018. Some 3,470 people were infected and; 2,287 were killed. It was the country’s largest-ever Ebola outbreak, and is also the second-biggest Ebola epidemic ever recorded. The largest outbreak recorded was the 2014-2016 epidemic in West Africa, which saw 28,652 and 11,325 deaths spread across 10 countries, including 11 cases and one casualty in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with blood, bodily fluids, and tissues of infected people or contaminated surfaces making those who live in third world countries and healthcare workers extremely high-risk for infection. The FDA approved Ervebo, a vaccine for Ebola, in 2019.

Tangent

President Donald Trump was given an experimental antibody cocktail produced by Regeneron after he was diagnosed with Covid-19.

Further Reading

FDA Approves First Treatment for Ebola Virus (FDA)

Trump Takes Experimental Regeneron Drug Cocktail Days After It Received Positive Reports (Forbes)