'Unprecedented' Ebola Outbreak Spreads, African Health Chief Warns It Could Reach Britain

The current Ebola outbreak has spread to an "unprecedented" degree and could surface in Britain and many other countries, one of Africa's top health officials has warned. Dr Jean Kaseya, Director-General of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), made the assessment as the outbreak has recorded 10,000 infections and nearly 5,000 deaths.

Kaseya compared the situation to the Covid-19 pandemic, which began in China and spread worldwide, claiming millions of lives and devastating health systems and economies in many countries. He said the lesson of Covid-19 is that no country can consider itself safe without appropriate response measures.

"We want all countries to understand that they are not safe unless they take the right measures. Every country, not only in the African region but on every continent, must now raise its level of preparedness and treatment capacity," he said.

The Africa CDC chief stressed that this is the first time three regions of Africa have been affected by Ebola at once, and that the geographic scope of the outbreak is without precedent.

He also urged world leaders to recognise that while the health crisis is currently concentrated in Africa, the situation can change quickly. "We should not forget that at the start of the Covid pandemic, many countries said the risk was zero, but just a few months later they became hotspots. We do not want to see Britain and other countries become hotspots," he warned.

According to health officials, this is the 17th Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo since the disease was identified, caused by the Bundibugyo virus, and it has become the largest and deadliest outbreak in the country's history.

Ebola is a dangerous infectious disease that progresses severely and is often fatal. The virus spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, such as blood or vomit, or with the body of a patient, for example during funeral preparations.

On 15 May, DRC's health ministry announced the outbreak in Ituri province, although gene sequencing results showed it had begun in February. The outbreak has since spread to Kenya and Uganda in East Africa. Last week, in West Africa, Nigeria confirmed a case in the capital Abuja after a woman who arrived from Uganda tested positive.

France is the only country outside Africa to have recorded an Ebola case so far, involving a doctor who returned from DRC in June.

There is currently no approved treatment for the Bundibugyo virus, but vaccine trials are under way. Kaseya said results are expected within three to six months.

Of the 10,091 total infections, 10,060 are in DRC with 4,887 deaths; Uganda and Kenya have each recorded two deaths.

The response has been hampered by shortages of protective equipment and delayed pay for health workers, which has led to strikes. Conflict in DRC, distrust of authorities in outbreak zones, misinformation and cuts to global aid have further complicated the situation.

Kaseya is due to convene a meeting of African health ministers on Wednesday to push cross-border cooperation, calling on governments to screen and test people arriving from outbreak areas at border crossings.

"The main message to the ministers is that they must understand they can be affected, and we do not want them to be caught by surprise by what could happen," he said.

At a meeting with African heads of state in November, Kaseya will propose establishing a "peace corridor" in conflict zones. "Colleagues in Ituri want to go and help people but cannot because of the security situation. I have to tell the leadership that this outbreak is not for the rebels, nor for the official army — it is everyone's problem. Ebola can affect anyone. We need to reach an agreement together on how to protect each other," he said.

The Africa CDC chief called for a global effort to fund the response. According to him, governments have pledged $3 billion but more than $2 billion has yet to be disbursed. African countries have pledged $120 million, with the rest expected from international donors including the United States, Britain and the EU.

"We need this money now. It must be understood that without timely funding for African countries, the cost later will be far greater because the outbreak will keep spreading. If more countries are affected, we will be talking about trillions of dollars, because it will take enormous resources to stop this outbreak," he stressed.