A disease that health officials have described as the fastest-spreading on record in Africa shows no signs of slowing down, and may soon afflict those outside the continent.
The unprecedented spread of Ebola has resulted in thousands of cases, with Nigeria reporting its first case in more than a decade last month, and additional reports in Kenya and other African countries.
While the majority of cases are currently affecting those in Africa, health experts are warning that the situation could change and countries should start increasing preparedness now.
“We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they donât take appropriate measures,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told The Guardian.
Kaseya even compared the outbreak to COVID-19, stating that at the beginning of the pandemic in 2019 and early 2020, “many countries said there was zero risk of being affected, but a few months later, they became the hotspot.”
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in May after cases were first confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the death toll has surpassed 5,000.
Cases have been linked to the Bundibugyo variant, a less common strain that has a high death rate and no approved treatment or vaccine.
Once a human is infected, the disease spreads through contact with blood, bodily fluids or objects contaminated with infected fluids.
The last outbreak of this strain occurred in 2012 in the Congo, with 57 cases and 29 deaths reported.
The DRC has taken the brunt of the outbreak, reporting more than 10,200 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
Meanwhile, Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June and saw two deaths. The country currently has no active Ebola cases.
African health ministers will meet to urge greater cross-border cooperation, while Kaseya hopes screening and testing will be used for people coming from affected regions at points of entry and exit.
“The main message to ministers is that they have to understand they could be affected, and we donât want them to be surprised by what could happen,” he said.
The only non-African country to have a confirmed case so far is France, when a doctor returned from the DRC in June. The patient recovered and was released from care in early July.
One US citizen was previously confirmed to have contracted the virus and was treated at a Berlin hospital.
Currently, the CDC reports the likelihood of Ebola reaching the US is low, and the agency has issued a new Ebola-related travel requirement intended to reduce the risk of Ebola entering the US.
Starting Nov.3, travelers on international flights to the US will have to confirm that they have not been in the DRC during the previous 21 days, which reflects how long it can take symptoms to appear.
Travelers â including American citizens, green card holders and airline crew members â will have to complete a paper or digital statement before boarding, even if they have never visited the DRC.
Major US and international airline groups are pushing back against the rule, though, asking for more time to prepare and saying the requirement is too broad.
However, Dr. Tyler Evans, a California-based infectious disease physician and CEO of Wellness Equity Alliance, echoed the growing concern around how quickly the disease is spreading.
“This was a step in the right direction, given the fact that we really do have to take this seriously,” Evans told Fox News Digital. “We have to ensure that this does not cross borders.”
