Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could reach 20,000 cases without strong public health measures
U.S. health officials say faster isolation could hold the outbreak nearer 10,000 cases, but low detection rates may push it above 20,000.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a report on Friday modeling between 10,000 and more than 20,000 Ebola cases in Central Africa, contingent on how quickly infected people isolate to slow transmission.
- Complicating response efforts, the Bundibugyo Ebola strain currently lacks available vaccines or specific treatments, while conflict in Ituri province involving the Rwanda-backed M23 and the Allied Democratic Force hampers containment.
- CDC simulations suggest at least 20,000 cases if only about 20% of infected persons isolate by late May; higher isolation rates of 70% could result in approximately 10,000 cases instead.
- Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Texas, called the projections "concerning," while Jennifer Nuzzo, director of Brown University's Pandemic Center, said the outbreak follows a "dangerous trajectory."
- Jason Asher, director of the CDC's Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics, stressed the modeling is a "planning tool" rather than a forecast, while experts maintain the risk to the United States remains low.
26 Articles
26 Articles
CDC Warns Central Africa Ebola Outbreak Could Exceed 20,000 Cases
A new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analysis warns that the Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could grow to more than 20,000 cases if aggressive public health measures are not implemented to slow transmission. According to the CDC’s modeling, the outbreak’s trajectory will depend heavily on how quickly infected individuals isolate after developing symptoms. Simulations suggest that if only a small share of infected people isolate, to…
The main American health agency warned Friday that, due to a lack of strong measures, the current Ebola epidemic detected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) "could reach a comparable scale" to that recorded between 2014 and 2016 on the African continent.
Associated Press News
Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could reach 20,000 cases without strong public health measures
The Ebola outbreak in Central Africa could grow to 20,000 cases or more, depending on how quickly infected people are isolated to slow the spread. The U.S.
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