The World Health Organization has released its first comprehensive clinical guidelines for treating filovirus diseases, covering all Ebola and Marburg virus types.
The guidelines include 16 evidence-based recommendations and arrive as the Democratic Republic of the Congo faces an outbreak of Bundibugyo virus, one of several Ebola types. In the worst-affected outbreaks, death rates have ranged from 25% to 90%.
The guidance emphasizes that early supportive care improves survival rates. No licensed vaccines or treatments exist for Marburg, Bundibugyo or Sudan virus diseases.