The Democratic Republic of Congo is reporting that at least 17 people have died in a new outbreak of the deadly Ebola virus. This marks the ninth Ebola outbreak in the DRC and comes after an outbreak in the country just last year left eight people dead. Further, it’s been only two years since the 2013-2016 outbreak in Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia claimed over 11,000 lives and even managed to spread as far as Europe and the United States, where one man died.
Ever since the West African Ebola epidemic, outbreaks of the disease have sounded alarms. When the first cases in the West African epidemic were reported, global authorities were slow to respond and coordinate. This allowed the disease to spread unchecked. It’s believed that the disease first infected a small child in Guinea before spreading to Sierra Leone and Liberia. Cases were later reported in Nigeria but were quickly contained.
The epidemic would have likely spread even further if the global health community and the United States military had not responded. Many African countries lack the resources to contain, let alone eradicate large outbreaks of such deadly diseases. During the height of the outbreak, hundreds of American soldiers deployed to Liberia, setting up ten field hospitals. Medical staff from health organizations around the world also joined the fight.
Ebola is especially troublesome for countries lacking in resources because of its high mortality rate, which can exceed 50 percent. Not only do a lot of civilians perish, but medical staff, including doctors, frequently succumb to the disease. Many African nations are already facing shortages of medical personnel.
Some African peoples practice cultural habits that can facilitate the spread of Ebola. So far, no strain of Ebola has gone airborne but instead has spread through bodily contact and the transfer of bodily fluids. This makes the disease relatively easily to contain with proper care, such as wearing gloves and avoiding unnecessary contact. However, in some parts of Africa, it is customary to kiss and touch the bodies of the diseased. Basic sanitation can also be lacking.
Containing such deadly diseases can be especially difficult in secluded parts of Africa. The Democratic Republic of Congo is a vast country that’s home to roughly 80,000,000 people, over half of whom live in rural areas. This slows the transfer of information, but the huge population could prove to be fertile breeding ground for the virus.
It’s unclear how far the most recent outbreak will spread. The DRC has already reached out to international health experts for help. In Guinea, officials were slow to respond and all but covered up the outbreak. The DRC is moving more quickly, but how the international health community will respond remains unknown.
In February, President Trump cut the CDC’s funding earmarked to prevent global disease outbreaks by 80 percent. The West African Ebola outbreak ended up costing the United States over $5 billion. With the CDC reducing its activities abroad, it may be up to other organizations, such as the World Health Organization (WHO), to contain Ebola.
Ultimately, diseases don’t respect national borders, and outbreaks in distant countries could become threats at home. Viruses can be particularly worrisome because they evolve at a rapid rate. Medical experts have long warned of the possibility of Ebola or a related virus going airborne. Should this ever occur, the disease could spread at a frighteningly quick rate.
