The new deadly Ebola outbreak is said to be spreading faster than thought earlier, the BBC has reported.
According to the report, people living close to the epicenter of a outbreak have told the BBC of their fear, as the World Health Organization (WHO) warned cases may be spreading faster than originally thought.
One man in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s north-eastern Ituri province, the epicenter of the outbreak, said infected people were dying “very fast,” and added: “Ebola has tortured us.”
The virus has killed 131 people in the DR Congo, and officials say, more than 513 cases are now suspected in the country. One person has died in neighboring Uganda from the virus.
In the wake of the report, authorities at the Ministry of Health (MoH) have issued a fresh Ebola alert, warning citizens to take all necessary precautions, though the country is prepared to confront the deadly epidemic.
Although health authorities insist that no confirmed Ebola case has been detected in Liberia, the BBC report has reopened painful memories of the devastating 2014–2016 Ebola crisis that killed thousands of Liberians, and exposed major weaknesses within the healthcare system.
Meanwhile, the WHO’s Dr. Anne Ancia, told the BBC that the more the UN agency investigates the outbreak, the clearer it becomes cases have spread to other areas.
Modelling by the London-based MRC Centre for Global Infectious Disease Analysis released on Monday, May 18, suggested there had been “substantial” under-detection, and that it could not rule out there had already been more than 1,000 cases.
The study suggested that the current outbreak is “larger than currently ascertained” and that its “true magnitude remains uncertain.”
A man who spoke to BBC News and identified himself as Bigboy said, people are “really scared” and doing what they can to protect themselves.
He said, locals are taking precautions such as washing hands with clean water, but added that he wished they could get access to other protective supplies such as face masks.
Another Ituri local, Alfred Giza, said, people in the community are aware of the threat and waiting to receive face masks to protect themselves, but that he would not know what to do if a family member or friend contracted the disease. The Red Cross has also warned that Ebola can escalate quickly if cases are not identified early, communities lack information and health systems are overwhelmed, adding: “we are seeing all those conditions in the current outbreak.” On Tuesday, May 19, DR Congo President Félix Tshisekedi, called for “calm” and urged Congolese to remain vigilant, after holding a crisis meeting on Monday, May 18, evening. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, who declared the outbreak an international emergency last week, said, he was “deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic.” It is feared the outbreak may have been ongoing for several weeks before it was first detected on April 24. There is no vaccine for the strain of Ebola virus fueling the latest rise in cases, but the WHO is evaluating whether other drugs may provide protection. Ancia told BBC Newsday that DR Congo’s Ituri province was a “very unsecured area with lots of movement of population,” making it difficult for the agency to investigate and help control the disease. She continued: “The more we are investigating this outbreak, the more we realize that it has already disseminated at least a little bit across border and also in other provinces.” The outbreak has spread to the province of South Kivu, where the population has been affected by a humanitarian crisis for many years, she added.
There has also been a case in eastern DR Congo’s biggest city, Goma, which has a population of around 850,000 people and is under the control of Rwandan-backed rebels.
High levels of insecurity in several provinces mean people move around often, increasing the risk and spread of the virus, she said. Several African countries, including Liberia, are taking precautions by tightening border screenings and preparing health facilities. Neighboring Rwanda has also closed its borders with the DR Congo. Uganda has told people to avoid hugging and shaking hands. An American citizen, believed to be missionary group doctor Peter Stafford, is being evacuated from the DR Congo after developing symptoms over the weekend.
Germany’s health ministry told the BBC a US citizen was being taken to the country for treatment. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it was working to evacuate at least six other Americans who were exposed. The WHO and other agencies are working with governments and communities to stop the spread of the virus, urging residents to follow preventative measures and report to the nearest health facility if they experience any symptoms.
The Cause of Ebola Virus
Ebola is caused by a virus and initially causes symptoms similar to the flu, with fever, headache and tiredness. As the disease progresses, vomiting and diarrhea develop and it can lead to organ failure. Some, but not all, patients develop internal and external bleeding.
The virus spreads from one person to another by contact with infected bodily fluids such as blood or vomit. The Bundibugyo strain fueling this rise in cases is rare, and has previously only caused two outbreaks, when it killed about a third of those infected.
Between 2014 and 2016, more than 28,600 people were infected by Ebola in West Africa, the largest outbreak of the virus since its discovery in 1976. It was caused by the Zaire strain, for which there is an approved vaccine. The disease spread to a number of countries in West Africa and beyond, including Guinea, Sierra Leone, the US, UK and Italy, killing 11,325 people.
In a related news, the National Public Health of Liberia (NPHIL) Says the country is on high Ebola alert despite zero cases. NPHIL Acting Director General, Dr. Sia Wata Camanor, says the country currently has no confirmed or suspected Ebola cases and no active outbreak.
Dr. Camanor, however, warned that Liberia remains at high risk due to regional movement and porous borders.