By Julia Pastor
Whilst we were preoccupied with the evacuation of passengers and crew from a Dutch cruise ship due to an outbreak of a pathogen known as hantavirus, a new Ebola epidemic was confirmed in the Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We learnt that hantavirus is transmitted by rodents, that it can be fatal, but does not have pandemic potential. Ebola, however, is an old acquaintance, with more than 30 outbreaks in Africa since its discovery in 1976. Although it is a high-risk virus, and one of the 34 that the WHO monitors closely, it is possible that it will remain a local epidemic.
For the time being, it is under control. Since this Ebola outbreak was officially declared on 15 May, more than 344 cases and 60 deaths have been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In neighbouring Uganda, there are 15 cases and there has been one death. A US citizen infected in the DRC is receiving medical treatment in Germany. What makes this epidemic particularly dangerous is the Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no vaccine or specific treatment, in one of the world’s most food-insecure regions. In the Ituri region, 1.5 million people face food insecurity, and one in three people needs humanitarian aid, according to data from Action Against Hunger.
Until 2014, Ebola outbreaks were small clusters in rural areas, and investment in the fight against the virus was negligible. The situation changed that year when the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history erupted in West Africa, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. By the time the outbreak was declared under control in 2016, there had been more than 28,600 cases and around 11,300 deaths. The scale of the outbreak mobilised more than one billion euros in international financial and humanitarian aid.
The next virus to threaten humanity has yet to be named or pinpointed, but we know it will come. The WHO seeks to control those viruses most capable of escalating into a pandemic due to their high transmissibility, lethality, ease of mutation and lack of treatment. The most dangerous are respiratory viruses such as avian flu, a variant of influenza A, and the coronaviruses that cause MERS and SARS. This also includes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome. The WHO is also monitoring 34 other lesser-known pathogens, which pose no risk at present but may mutate.
