In a report aired on October 5, 2026, Al Jazeera English visited Ituri, in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the Ebola outbreak has claimed more than 4,000 lives. At a post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) center run by ALIMA and its partners, the Congolese National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) and the French agency ANRS Emerging Infectious Diseases (ANRS MIE), researchers are testing obeldesivir, an experimental antiviral pill.
With no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the strain, the trial aims to protect people exposed to the virus before symptoms appear. Half the participants receive the pill and half a placebo, and they are followed daily for three weeks. According to the report, only two of the 250 participants have developed the disease so far.
If the pill proves effective, it could protect families and health workers, and help contain future outbreaks.
