By Basant El-Faramawy
A top health expert has warned that the deadly Ebola outbreak in Africa could spread globally like Covid-19 and reach the UK unless all continents take appropriate action. Dr Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said the rapid spread of the rare Bundibugyo strain mirrors the early days of the coronavirus pandemic.
Outbreak spreads across four African countries
The outbreak began in mid-May and has become the largest and deadliest in the Democratic Republic of Congo, surpassing the 2018-2020 epidemic. More than 10,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths have been recorded across four African nations: DR Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and a single case in France involving a doctor who returned from DR Congo in June.
Bundibugyo strain and transmission
The current outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, which has a fatality rate between 21% and 50%. Symptoms include muscle aches, high fever, headache, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhoea. The virus spreads through direct contact with body fluids such as blood or vomit from infected people or dead bodies.
Call for global preparedness and funding
Dr Kaseya stressed that every country must increase its preparedness level and treatment capacity. He warned that the geographic extension of this outbreak is unprecedented, with three African regions affected simultaneously. He is set to call for a "corridor of peace" in conflict zones at a November meeting with African heads of state to help control the disease. International donors from the US, UK and EU have pledged $3bn, but more than $2bn remains outstanding, while African countries have committed $120m.
Vaccine development underway
Scientists at Oxford University are working urgently to develop a vaccine that could be deployed if the virus spirals out of control. There is currently no cure for Ebola.
