Ebola outbreak caused by new ‘animal transmission’: What that means
Summary
A new study found that the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) started from a new transmission of the virus from animals to humans, not from previous human outbreaks. The outbreak has killed over 2,000 people and is spreading faster than health workers can control.Key Facts
- The Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC has caused more than 2,000 deaths out of 4,449 cases.
- Genetic analysis shows the virus strain is different from previous outbreaks in 2007 and 2012.
- The current outbreak began with an animal-to-human transmission, also called a zoonotic spillover.
- The animal source of the virus has not yet been identified.
- This outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain, for which no vaccine exists yet.
- The virus spreads mainly through human-to-human contact after the initial animal transmission.
- WHO warns this outbreak could become the deadliest Ebola epidemic in history.
- The outbreak was officially declared in May 2023 but the virus circulated from February.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
