Experimental and untested drugs can be used to help combat the spread of Ebola in west Africa, the World Health Organisation said yesterday, as the official death toll from the worst ever outbreak of the virus topped 1,000.
The WHO’s unprecedented endorsement of treatments “with as-yet unknown efficacy and side effects”, a decision that reflects the exceptional nature of the epidemic, came after a meeting of ethical and medical experts at the group’s headquarters in Geneva.
According to the latest official WHO figures, 1,013 people have died and 1,848 have been infected with the Ebola virus, although experts believe the real totals are much higher.