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08Oct22

Ebola Will Spread If Resources Are Not Brought to Bear

Acting swiftly and decisively to extinguish the Ebola outbreak in Uganda is an important priority not just for Uganda, but for Africa and the world. The current outbreak has, thus far, been confirmed to have killed 10 -- including 4 healthcare workers -- and while over 40 cases have been confirmed, none have been outside of Uganda where several districts are reporting cases. However, there is a strong possibility that it will spread to other countries. If resources are not brought to bear, that spread is likely to be an eventuality.

Acting swiftly and decisively to extinguish the Ebola outbreak in Uganda is an important priority not just for Uganda, but for Africa and the world. The current outbreak has, thus far, been confirmed to have killed 10 -- including 4 healthcare workers -- and while over 40 cases have been confirmed, none have been outside of Uganda where several districts are reporting cases. However, there is a strong possibility that it will spread to other countries. If resources are not brought to bear, that spread is likely to be an eventuality.

The Outbreak's Origin

Uganda is a nation that has faced a half dozen prior outbreaks of Ebola. Accordingly, the virus is not an unknown entity there. This current outbreak was declared in September 2022 with the confirmation of a fatal case in a 24-year-old male. This was unlikely to be the first case as unexplained deaths had been reported in the first weeks of September. It is unknown precisely how this outbreak started and exactly when it began, though it is likely to have been a few weeks prior to the first confirmed case, as clinical misdiagnosis of Ebola as typhoid, meningitis, malaria, and other infectious diseases can occur.

The Sudan Strain

Complicating this outbreak is the fact that of the six species of Ebola that have been described, the Ugandan outbreak is caused by the Sudan strain. This strain, which is highly lethal, is one which has not been involved in human outbreaks since 2012 and is often overshadowed by the more prolific Zaire strain. The Zaire strain was responsible for the massive 2013-2014 West African outbreak and, not coincidentally, is the strain for which vaccines and monoclonal antibodies are available. Unfortunately, countermeasures for one Ebola strain do not have an impact on others. The exact animal reservoir of the Sudan strain and why and how it emerges have not yet been established. It is assumed to be harbored by bats, like other strains of Ebola.

[Source: By Amesh Adalja, Medpage, London, 08Oct22]
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