THURSDAY, Sept. 13, 2012 — The deadly Ebola virus has emerged in the desperately poor Democratic Republic of Congo, a month after the World Health Organization (WHO) said they halted an outbreak of the deadly, cinematic virus in nearby Uganda.
While experts say an outbreak in the U.S. is unlikely, epidemiologists still caution international travels.
“This is a terrible problem for Africa, and it’s also a global threat. Our modern transportation network makes this something public health authorities all over the world need to pay attention to," says Dr. Thomas W. Geisbert, professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. “The likelihood of any significant outbreak in the United States is low because the health care system (or infrastructure) in the United States is better able to mitigate risk than Africa."
As of this week, 31 people had died. Three were healthcare workers. Earlier this week, epidemiologists and other health officials in the DRC mobilized in response to the outbreak, but health officials warn if the outbreak is not controlled there is a serious risk it may spread to major towns throughout the country.
Ebola is a rare and highly infectious disease and symptoms include fever, rash, sore throat, gastrointestinal problems, impaired kidney and liver function, as well as severe internal and external bleeding.The disease is spread through close contact with bodily fluids from infected animals and humans. No vaccine or treatment exists. Those infected receive therapies such as intravenous fluids and treatments for complications.
Dr. Geisbert notes that in Africa, Ebola typically spreads as a result of cultural mores, such as burial practices, "where close contact with body fluids results in transmission.” This outbreak, like earlier ones, is said to have started from consuming infected bushmeat.
Ebola has a 90 percent fatality rate. The first outbreaks occurred in 1976 in Yambuki, Nzara, Sudan, as well as the DRC.
There have been five Ebola outbreaks in the DRC prior to this one, the most recent in 2008 with 14 deaths from 32 cases. The DRC's Ministry of Health is working with WHO to contain the fatal virus.