(We’ve added this section because we’re still getting LOTS of questions about hantavirus and now about Ebola. While our concern about hantavirus has dropped somewhat this week, we will continue to monitor and update on both of these outbreaks).
Africa CDC declared a Public Health Emergency over the weekend after an Ebola outbreak in Eastern Congo spread across the border to Uganda.
There are at least 245 suspected cases and 65 deaths in Congo. The one case in Uganda was a Congolese traveler who crossed the border and then passed away in a hospital.
This is the second Ebola outbreak in Congo in the span of a year, but it's reached the level of an emergency declaration because of a few key factors. First, it's a rarer strain: Bundibugyo ebolavirus. It's only caused two outbreaks before, in 2012 and 2007, so we have much less information on how it behaves than the other, more common strains.
The somewhat good news is that it appears to be less deadly than the more common Zaire strain, about 36-40% of cases result in death compared to 60-90%, though that's still a breathtakingly high rate.
Unfortunately, that means we don't have a vaccine or treatment specific to this strain, which is genetically quite different than Zaire. The existing vaccines may not be nearly as effective against this one.
It's also quite late to notice an outbreak, with 200+ cases before the WHO noticed and declared an emergency, notably before the Congolese health authorities announced one. Add in the complexities of a much more urban area than the last Ebola outbreak in Congo, open conflict, and open borders, and it's not looking like a great situation.
There are rumors that Americans have been exposed abroad, but there's still very little information and no confirmation. But we're not too concerned about that - they'll go to trained infectious disease hospitals in Atlanta or New York (because the National Quarantine Unit is filled with hantavirus exposures). A media call by CDC on Sunday didn't confirm that there were Americans, but may have implied it.
While this is a major concern for public health, it's not an imminent threat to the American public or to your business. No action is needed, other than keeping an eye on this emerging situation.
While you know we are YLE (Katelyn Jetelina) groupies, this extremely thoughtful Substack clearly outlines the broader public health concerns brought to the forefront by the US response to hantavirus and now a rapidly growing Ebola outbreak in Africa. Well worth reading.