An Ebola outbreak has been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
At least a dozen cases of the hemorrhagic fever have been reported in the Bolamba health zone, which is located in the Équateur Province in the DRC. Eight deaths have been reported.
Colomba Mampuya, president of the Red Cross/Ecuador committee, reportedly shared the information with media on Jan. 27.
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Meanwhile, the neighboring country of Tanzania has been grappling with an outbreak of Marburg fever.
“This is an unusually high death rate, even for Ebola,” said Jacob Glanville, CEO and president of biotechnology company Centivax in San Francisco.
“This suggests either that more active cases have been identified, or that this strain is more lethal than average for prior strains, or that medical care was unusually poor for these subjects,” he told Fox News Digital.
“While the risk of widespread transmission is likely low, local impacts could still be substantial.”
The cases were identified in isolated villages, which improves the odds of outbreak isolation and increases the chance that medical care was substandard, Glanville noted.
“However, biopsy samples should immediately be sequenced to rule out a new and potentially more lethal form of Ebola,” he said.
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Samuel Scarpino, director of AI and life sciences and professor of health sciences at Northeastern University in Boston, reiterated that the ongoing situation in rural DRC is “quite serious.”
“While the risk of widespread transmission is likely low, local impacts could still be substantial,” he told Fox News Digital.
“It is essential that the international community provides medical and public health support to DRC and that vaccines be made quickly available in both the affected and surrounding areas.”
“We will be watching the situation closely, but currently, the risk to the U.S. is incredibly low.”
Both experts agreed that the U.S. is not at risk.
“Because Ebola only spreads from symptomatic individuals, the risk that a traveler could spark a small cluster of cases outside of DRC is very low,” Scarpino said.
“We will be watching the situation closely, but currently, the risk to the U.S. is incredibly low.”
What to know about Ebola
Ebola occurs when someone is infected with orthoebolavirus zairense, which is a virus mainly found in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The virus was first discovered in 1976 in the DRC.
The resulting disease is life-threatening, causing death in up to 90% of cases.
Initial symptoms of Ebola disease include “dry” symptoms like fever, aches, pains and fatigue, the CDC stated.
As the disease progresses, the person may experience “wet” symptoms like diarrhea, vomiting and unexplained bleeding.
Symptoms usually begin within eight to 10 days of exposure, according to the same source.
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The sickness is spread through contact with bodily fluids from someone who has been infected.
In rare cases, it may spread from contact with an infected animal.
The best ways to prevent infection are to avoid contact with bodily fluids of infected people, to wear the proper protective equipment in high-risk environments, and to monitor for symptoms to ensure timely medical attention.
There are two FDA-approved medications (monoclonal antibodies) available to treat Ebola disease: mAb114 (Ansuvimab, also known as Ebanga) and REGN-EB3 (Inmazeb).
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Patients should also receive supportive care, including fluids and electrolytes, medicine to treat symptoms and any necessary treatment for infections, according to the CDC.
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