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Topics: Health, World News
Jen Thomas
Another pandemic could be looming due to an ongoing Ebola crisis.
Experts have confirmed deaths have surged by a horrifying 63 percent over the last week alone.
Officials fear a pandemic is on its way, as the number of cases continue to rise.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola is 'caused by viruses that belong to the Orthoebolavirus genus of the filoviridae family'.
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There are six types of Orthoebolaviruses which have been identified so far.
Of these six, three can cause large outbreaks: the Ebola virus (EBOV), the Sudan virus (SUDV) and the Bundibugyo virus (BDBV).
31 people are now known to have died in the latest outbreak, including at least four healthcare workers.
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The WHO also said on Thursday, September 14, that 48 cases have now been confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The CDC issued an update about the threat of Ebola to the US.
On Thursday, they said that no Ebola cases 'related to this outbreak have been reported in the United States or outside of the DRC' and that the risk of spread to the US 'is considered low at this time'.
World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said "It has been two weeks since the government of the DRC declared an Ebola outbreak.
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"So far, 48 confirmed and probable cases have been reported, and 31 people have died."
Two patients have recovered so far, while 16 are being treated.
Vaccination efforts are underway for people who have been exposed to the virus, as well as frontline health workers.
Dr Mohamed Janabi is the WHO Regional Director for Africa, he said: “While we’re witnessing important improvements in the response, we’re still in the early days of the outbreak. A determined action is vital to consolidate these positive steps, gain ground against the virus, end its spread and protect the population."
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Ebola has been present in the DRC since 1976, and previous outbreaks in 2018 and 2020 claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people each.
Previous outbreaks in 2018 and 2020 in eastern Congo killed more than 1,000 people each.
More than 28,600 cases were reported between 2014 and 2016 in West Africa.
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The condition spreads through contact with infected blood or body fluids, as well as contaminated objects or infected animals.
It can cause fever, headache, muscle pain and weakness, as well as diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising.
This latest outbreak is caused by the Zaire ebolavirus species, and it is thought it has been transmitted likely by bats to humans.
WHO said the first reported case was a pregnant woman who presented at the Bulape General Reference Hospital back on August 20.
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The patient reported a high fever, bloody stool, excessive bleeding and weakness, and she tragically died five days later. Testing on September 4 confirmed Ebola.
There was another outbreak earlier this year in Uganda, and in February of this year, two suspected Ebola cases were detected in the US after two patients travelled from the country.
It was later confirmed that they did not have Ebola.
Back in 2014, a man tested positive in the US for Ebola after travelling, making him the first person in the US to have the disease, and he sadly died a week later.