Threat from Africa: Ebola outbreak rapidly spirals out of control
фото: Reuters
The number of confirmed cases of the deadly Ebola virus in East Africa is rapidly increasing, with the number of cases expected to surpass 500 soon. The new outbreak risks becoming even bigger than the 2014 epidemic.
This is reported by the Swedenherald publication.
According to the World Health Organization, the epicenter of the infection has become Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of Congo, from where the disease has spread to neighboring Uganda. Jason Asher, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, warned of the risk of a repeat of a large-scale humanitarian threat.
“Such a scale is possible,” said the head of the agency, commenting on the likelihood of a new devastating epidemic, the consequences of which could surpass the tragedy in West Africa ten years ago.
The situation is critically complicated by the fact that there are currently no officially approved vaccines or specific drugs against the rare Bundibugyo strain that has been identified.
It is reported that to date, doctors have officially recorded 85 deaths among 471 confirmed cases of infection in the region, and the total number of suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo has already exceeded 1,000. Experts note that this speed of spread of the disease is recorded for the first time in the history of observations.
The World Health Organization (WHO) recently declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern. The WHO said there was a risk of the disease spreading beyond the region, but it was not yet a pandemic.
An Ebola outbreak has been reported in northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, killing 65 people. Several hundred more are suspected or infected.
In late May, an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo caused flight cancellations , increased international restrictions, and the national soccer team’s potential exclusion from the World Cup in the United States. The spread of the virus has led to increased security measures by countries and international organizations, and Congo’s health system is facing a shortage of resources.
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