Deadly Ebola outbreak which is 'fastest-spreading epidemic on record' could reach UK, experts warn
A major Ebola outbreak in Africa called the 'fastest-spreading' of all time could reach the UK, health experts have warned as they clarified similarities to Covid.
The outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has now reached 10,000 confirmed cases, government data shows, as health authorities race to slow the spread of the disease in multiple African countries.
It is confirmed to be the fastest-growing Ebola outbreak in history and nearly half of the 10,060 confirmed with the virus have died, according to the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s health ministry.
The outbreak declared in May is caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, for which there is no approved vaccine or treatment. Response teams are battling armed conflict, poor roads and violence from residents fuelled by mistrust and misinformation.
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Fears over spread of virus
The virus also spread to Kenya in recent weeks, where there were two deaths, and also Nigeria.
It has so far been recorded in five countries including Uganda and France, both of which have no active cases at the moment.
The United States has also since tightened measures to restrict travel to prevent the spread reaching the states.
Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, has compared it to the spread of Covid and that more funding is needed to increase global preparedness.
“We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they don’t take appropriate measures,” he said.
“Each country, not only in the African region, but all continents, must now increase the preparedness level and the possibility for treatment.
“It is the first time three African regions have been affected [by Ebola]. The geographic extension of this outbreak is unprecedented.
“We shouldn’t forget that at the beginning of Covid, many countries said there was zero risk of being affected, but a few months later, they became the hotspot.
"We don’t want to see the UK and other countries become the hotspot.”
Meanwhile, Sephora Bgosi with the Ebola burial team in the province of Ituri, the epicentre, added: “Some people still don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation even though they are directly exposed to the risk. Ebola disease is extremely dangerous and can be deadly.”
Health experts say it should not be compared to Covid
UK-based experts have said that although the outbreak could reach the UK, that it should not be compared to Covid.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has also currently assessed the risk of Ebola to the UK public as low to negligible, while monitoring the ongoing international outbreak.
Dr Simon Clarke, Associate Professor in Cellular Microbiology and Public Engagement in Science at the University of Reading, has explains why the suggestion the disease could spread rapidly around the UK is 'misleading.'
"The Ebola outbreak in Africa is now the fastest-spreading epidemic on record," he warned "And there is no reason why the virus cannot find its way to the United Kingdom, as it has done before in 2014.
"Recently the United States has tightened measures to restrict travel, requiring US-bound air travellers to attest that they’ve not been in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in the preceding 21 days, highlighting the potential role international air travel could play in spreading the virus around the world."
However on the comparison to Covid, he added: "Comparing Ebola with COVID-19 is misleading.
"Ebola spreads less readily between people and requires direct contact with infected bodily fluids, such as blood, vomit, saliva, faeces or sweat. Unlike COVID-19, it cannot be caught simply by being near an infected person.
"People with Ebola become infectious only once symptoms appear. The risk of transmission rises as the illness worsens, peaking around the time of death.
"The severe ongoing outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain in the DRC has prompted the UK to put in place a robust, multi-layered response built around early detection, containment and international mitigation.
"In an Ebola outbreak, UKHSA measures to stop community transmission would include ‘no-touch’ isolation for suspected cases, transfer of confirmed patients in biocontainment pods to specialist negative-pressure hospital units, and intensive contact tracing over 21 days.
“It’s worth remembering that since Ebola was first discovered in 1976, only four cases have ever been recorded in the UK, all of which were safely contained, and none of which resulted in a single death or community transmission.
"This is not something the British public should worry about.”
Topics: Health, UK News, World News, Science
James Holt