A major development emerged this week as the virus is spreading faster than health workers can track it and international funding has slumped. The deadly Ebola virus outbreak in eastern Africa could be the “ worst ever ” in history, the director-general of Africa ’ s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Jean Kaseya, has warned.

Background

The issue at hand has deep roots and a history that continues to shape the current situation.

At least 837 people have been infected in the epicentre of the outbreak, the Democratic Republic of Congo, whereas 196 people have died, authorities say.

“ If we don ’ t stop the outbreak very soon, it will be worse than what we had in West Africa and eastern DRC, ” Kaseya said, referring to previous outbreaks of the virus in West Africa in 2014, which resulted in the deaths of more than 11,000 people, and a later one in the DRC in 2018 that led to the deaths of more than 2,000.

What has become increasingly clear is that here ’ s what we know about why health leaders fear this outbreak could be even worse: Ebola disease is a viral haemorrhagic fever that can result in death.

Analysis

The depth of the response underscores how closely this situation is being watched.

Three known forms of the virus cause large outbreaks of the disease: Zaire virus, Sudan virus and the Bundibugyo virus, which has caused the current outbreak.

Meanwhile, sources familiar with the matter indicate that the West Africa outbreak was the largest on record: It spread to several countries and infected nearly 29,000 people between 2014 and 2016, such as nationals of Italy and the United States.

Observers have also noted that in the 2018-2020 DRC outbreak, the second-largest, some 3,400 people were infected.

National Impact

This development is likely to influence decisions and discussions in the weeks ahead.

This is definitely one of the reasons why it wasn ’ t put on the priority list, why there weren ’ t resources for it and why it ’ s only being trialled right now. ” First, because there ’ s no approved vaccine or treatment for Bundibugyo, health workers have little option other than to manage symptoms of the deadly disease as they would an outbreak of flu.

Further developments have shed additional light on the matter. this makes it much harder for health workers to travel in the region to trace the disease ’ s spread effectively or provide care to infected people who might be in rebel-held territory or crowded refugee camps.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, as a result, authorities say, this virus is spreading faster than healthcare workers can keep pace with, and hundreds of people had already been infected by the time the WHO declared a public health emergency in mid-May.

According to those with knowledge of the situation, “ We are missing more than 26,000 people, and we don ’ t know where they are, and we don ’ t know if they are contaminating other people. ” Already, the virus has spread from DRC ’ s commercial Ituri Province to North and South Kivu, and across the border into Uganda.

Adding to the complexity of the situation, populations have also voiced anger at being unable to bury their dead according to traditional rites, with anger sometimes directed at health workers.

What Happens Next

What is clear is that this story is not yet over. The coming days and weeks will likely bring additional developments — and additional clarity — on a situation that has already captured significant national attention.