A fast-moving outbreak
Health officials say the Ebola outbreak is spreading faster than any previously recorded in Africa and shows no sign of easing, according to the New York Post. Thousands of cases have been reported. Nigeria confirmed its first case in more than a decade last month, and Kenya and other African countries have also reported infections.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has borne the heaviest burden, with more than 10,200 cases and a death toll reported at nearly 5,000, a figure other coverage puts above 5,000. The World Health Organization declared a public health emergency of international concern in May, soon after the first confirmed cases in Congo.
Uganda reported 20 cases across May and June, including two deaths, and currently has no active infections.
A rare and dangerous strain
The cases are tied to the Bundibugyo variant, a less common form of the virus. It carries a high fatality rate, and no treatment or vaccine has been approved for it. The virus passes between people through contact with blood or other bodily fluids, or with objects contaminated by them.
The only earlier outbreak of this strain was in Congo in 2012, when 57 cases and 29 deaths were reported. The current outbreak is vastly larger.
Warnings from health leaders
Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, told the Guardian that countries elsewhere should not assume they are out of reach. “We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they don’t take appropriate measures,” he said.
He drew a comparison with COVID-19, saying that early in that pandemic “many countries said there was zero risk of being affected, but a few months later, they became the hot spot.”
African health ministers are set to meet to press for closer cooperation across borders. Kaseya wants screening and testing for people arriving from or leaving affected areas. “The main message to ministers is that they have to understand they could be affected, and we don’t want them to be surprised by what could happen,” he said.
Cases outside Africa and the US response
France is the only country outside Africa with a confirmed case so far. A doctor who had returned from Congo in June became ill, recovered, and left medical care in early July. A US citizen who was earlier confirmed to have the virus received treatment at a hospital in Berlin.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the chance of Ebola reaching the United States is low. Even so, the agency has introduced a new travel requirement. Beginning Nov. 3, people on international flights to the US must affirm that they have not been in Congo during the previous 21 days, the period in which symptoms can emerge.
The rule covers American citizens, green card holders and airline crew, and passengers must complete a written or electronic statement before boarding, even if they have never been to Congo. Major US and international airline groups are pushing back, asking for more time to get ready and arguing that the requirement is too broad.
Dr. Tyler Evans, a California infectious disease physician and CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, told Fox News Digital the measure was “a step in the right direction.” He added: “We have to ensure that this does not cross borders.”
