Deadly Eye-Bleeding Virus May Have Spread to Another Continent
The Daily Beast • • health
Key Points:
- Two humanitarian workers returning to Italy from Uganda may represent Europe’s first cases of the current Ebola outbreak, showing symptoms like high fever and nausea, though confirmation is pending.
- The outbreak, caused by the Bundibugyo variant of Ebola, has resulted in around 1,000 suspected cases and over 230 deaths in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
- The Bundibugyo strain has a fatality rate of 25% to 40%, lower than the Zaire and Sudan strains, which can reach mortality rates up to 90%.
- Unlike the more lethal strains, there is currently no approved vaccine or specific treatment for the Bundibugyo variant, which has spread rapidly in affected African regions.
- The World Health Organization has declared the outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” due to its severity and cross-border spread.