WHO releases first comprehensive Ebola and Marball clinical management guidelines

The World Health Organization issued its first unified set of clinical management guidelines for filovirus diseases, covering Ebola and Marburg viruses. The 16‑point protocol stresses early supportive care, including aggressive rehydration, prompt shock treatment with vasoactive drugs, prioritized laboratory monitoring, management of secondary bacterial infections, and structured post‑recovery follow‑up. It also outlines the health‑system resources needed to implement the recommendations.

WHO Director‑General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the guidance as a shift toward standardized, patient‑focused care aimed at improving survival rates, which currently range from 25 % to 90 % depending on virus strain and treatment quality. The guidelines note that while licensed vaccines exist for Ebola, no specific treatment is approved for Marburg, making optimized supportive care the most effective intervention. Monoclonal antibody therapies such as mAb114 and REGN‑EB3 are recommended where available for Ebola patients. The document is intended for frontline health workers, administrators and policymakers, especially in regions with active outbreaks, such as the Bundibugyo virus situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.