10/13/18

The DRC government approved the use of new drugs to fight Ebola in June. Aid workers fighting the virus say they're thankful for the help,

but also very aware they're using drugs that have not been approved for widespread use. So I will say there's a mix of emotions when you go into the Ebola treatment unit and, and, and deliver the one of these therapeutics.

On one hand, you're incredibly nervous because not many people have given these drugs before, and not many people have received them, but on the other hand, there's a sense of excitement and a sense of hope

because for the first time we have something that we can use to directly fight against the virus. Hope is something that's hard to come by when it comes to Ebola.

When it first came on the scene, over 80 percent of those who contracted the virus died. Aggressive therapies and drugs like the ones being administered in the DRC have helped cut that mortality rate to about 50 percent.

I think this really represents a paradigm shift in our treatment approach to Ebola virus disease, and it really represents that next step after more aggressive supportive care.

Now we have the opportunity to give these therapeutics that potentially could act against the virus. So for me this really represents a monumental step forward in terms of what we have available to patients with this disease.

As of October 1st, about 47 people have received the new treatments. And the World Health Organization says they are getting the new drugs to patients within hours of their diagnosis with the deadly Ebola virus.

Kevin Enochs, VOA news.