An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda has now been declared a "public health emergency of international concern by the World Health Organization, per The Daily Mail.
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When it comes to fast-spreading viruses, we're all primed to be overly cautious. Just three years removed from a global pandemic, we're still in a global state of vigilance. Unfortunately, it doesn't appear like we're going to be getting too much of a reprieve.
The outbreak has already claimed 80 lives and appears to be spreading at a rapid pace.
"The WHO said the outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency but that countries sharing land borders with the DRC are at high risk of further spread," The Daily Mail reported.
What makes the current outbreak, which is the 17th in the country, different is that there are no approved "Bundibugyo virus-specific therapeutics or vaccines, unlike for Ebola-Zaire strains," per the WHO.
The Zaire strain is far more common. As such, should the current outbreak pick up pace, there would be a race against time to develop a vaccine. Especially one that can be distributed at scale with minimal risk.
What Is Ebola?
According to the UK's National Health Service (NHS), Ebola is "caused by a virus caught from wild animals. It spreads from person to person when you touch infected body fluids, such as semen, saliva, blood, poo, pee and vomit."
Ebola's symptoms are wide-ranging. People who contract the virus often experience symptoms such as a skin rash and vomiting. They also have yellowing of the eyes and skin and bruises across their body. Those with the virus usually start bleeding from their eyes, ears, nose, or mouth, and have blood in their poop.
The symptoms usually begin to surface anywhere between two and twenty-one days after contracting the virus. Fatality rates have varied significantly in past outbreaks, ranging from 25% to 90%.
We're certainly living in some scary times. Hopefully, health officials get a handle on the current outbreak before it continues to take lives.
There are no further updates at this time.
