While there are some therapies that have been used to successfully treat patients infected with other types of viral hemorrhagic fevers (VHFs), there are no substantiated treatments and there is no cure for EVD. No FDA-approved medicine (eg, antiviral drug) is available for Ebola, but there are various experimental blood, immunological, and drug therapies that are currently being developed and tested for effectiveness and safety.
According to the CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV (tradename 'Ervebo') on December 19, 2019. The rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine is a single-dose vaccine regimen that has been found to be safe and protective against only the Zaire ebolavirus species of ebolavirus. This is the first FDA approval of a vaccine for Ebola.
Another investigational vaccine was developed and introduced under a research protocol in 2019 to combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This vaccine leverages two different vaccine components (Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo) and requires two doses with an initial dose followed by a second “booster” dose 56 days later. The second vaccine is also designed to protect against only the Zaire ebolavirus species of Ebola.
In 2022, two new investigational monoclonal drug treatments were recommended by the WHO for use. These two treatments are monoclonal antibodies mAb114 (known as Ansuvimab or Ebanga) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).
Patients provided with intensive supportive care have an increased chance of survival. These interventions, when used early in the course of the disease, can improve the infected person's chance of survival. Basic supportive treatments and interventions may include:
- Monitoring and maintaining the patient's blood pressure
- Providing oxygen or assisted ventilation to assist breathing
- Helping to clear waste in the patient's blood using dialysis
- Administering intravenous (IV) fluids to hydrate and maintain electrolyte balance
- Treating other infections, if they occur
Recovery is dependent on the quality of supportive care that is received and the patient's immune response.
Patients who recover from EVD are no longer infectious and can no longer spread the disease. Lingering effects of the disease may leave patients in a weakened state and they can develop chronic, long-term complications such as joint and vision problems. Abstinence from sex is recommended for at least 3 months, because Ebola has been isolated in semen for up to 3 months.
Surviving EVD means that the patient has antibodies against that strain that can last at least 10 years, but scientists are unsure if survivors remain immune for life. It is not known if a different strain/species of Ebola could infect an EVD survivor.
