After Hantavirus, Ebola outbreak makes WHO concerned as spread remains uncertain

Amidst the fading scare of Hantavirus, another disease outbreak has caught the attention of the World Health Organisation (WHO). The global health watchdog has flagged Ebola breakout in parts of Africa as a public health emergency of international concern.

Ebola disease is a rare but serious illness caused by some viruses prevalent in some parts of Africa and has a fatality rate as high as 50 percent or above.

As of present, there are 336 suspected cases and 88 deaths in the central African and East African countries of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO notably declares a public health emergency of international concern when there is a sudden, unusual or serious outbreak of a disease which can pose threat to other countries through cross border spread and calls for a collaborative response to the situation.

As per WHO, three different viruses are known to cause large Ebola outbreaks– Ebola virus, Sudan virus and Bundibugyo virus. 

The current strain of Ebola is caused by the Bundibugyo virus for which there are no vaccines or treatment, the agency informed.

From the look of it, around 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths have been dominantly clustered around the DR Congo’s eastern Ituri province, the agency warned it could be a much larger outbreak than the already detected cases and hints on cross-region spread.

It also cited some reasons why the outbreak could count as a global health concern.

Cases so far

As per The Conversation report, the first case was detected on May 5 in DR Congo and was confirmed around May 15 to have been caused by the Bundibugyo strain.

Since then, clusters of community deaths have been reported across several health zones across Ituri province.

The infection then spread to Uganda’s capital Kampala where two cases have been confirmed. 

Last week, the officials there reported the death of a 59-year-old man who had died from the infection.

The WHO has cautioned about the uncertainty to the true number of infected persons and the geographic spread of the infection. 

Ebola virus

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Ebola disease is caused by an infection from orthoebolavirus.

The infection can spread through bodily fluids of an infected person or a wild animal.

Exposure to bodily fluids from an infected person like blood, urine, faecal matter, saliva and even vomit can spread the disease. 

As per reports, African fruit bats are the natural host of the virus. Other wild animals can catch infection from them and cause disease.

Ebola disease can couple flu-like symptoms with serious illness — fever, diarrhea, bruises all over the body, sore throat, muscle pain and others.

The disease also presents some atypical symptoms, experts have informed.

Speaking to DH, Dr Manav Manchanda, Director & Head at Respiratory, Critical Care & Sleep Medicine, Asian Hospital (Faridabad) said, “Sometimes, people infected with Ebola also experience severe bleeding. The infected person could bleed from ears, mouth, gums, nose, blood in vomit or even on faeces.”

The expert informed that symptoms can be presented between a few days to as long as three weeks after initial exposure with the virus.

As per reports, the epicenter of the disease, Ituri is a high-mining traffic region and even the neighbouring countries sharing borders are at a high risk due to population movement, trade and travel. 

Also, the WHO has asked for international coordination and cooperation to gauge the extent of the outbreak.

To assess disease risk for India, experts said there is no reason to panic as of now.

“Ebola does not spread easily through the air, unlike Covid-19. The virus normally requires close contact with infected bodily fluids for transmission. Hence, I would advise to be cautious about travelling to or near the affected countries. Also, people need to be extra careful around hospitals, particularly those having poor infection control measures because the virus can spread like fire in unhygienic spaces,” said Dr Manchanda.

While the world is not at an immediate risk of the virus, the high fatality rates of the infection which has no approved medicine has put WHO on alert.