Current Affairs Of Pakistan & World: Virus Briefing: Uganda’s Ebola outbreak

Virus Briefing: Uganda’s Ebola outbreak

October 7, 2022

Here's your update on the coronavirus pandemic and other virus news.

Good afternoon. In today's newsletter, we're taking a look at the Ebola outbreak in Uganda. This flare up is particularly worrisome because it's a strain of the virus that is resistant to current vaccines.

There are no cases in the U.S., but yesterday the Biden administration said that travelers who had been to Uganda would be redirected to airports where they can be screened, and federal health officials also urged doctors to be vigilant for patients with symptoms.

My colleague Lynsey Chutel has been tracking the outbreak from Johannesburg, and sent this update.

Ebola spreads in Uganda

Uganda is racing to contain an Ebola outbreak driven by a strain of the virus that is resistant to existing immunization shots. A celebrated vaccine that was effective in the Democratic Republic of Congo's 2018-22 outbreak has proved unsuccessful against the Sudanese strain of the virus, which is currently driving cases up.

Yesterday, Dr. Patrick Otim, the World Health Organization's health emergency officer for the Africa region, said that two vaccine candidates could offer protection against the Sudanese strain, but that they had yet to go into clinical trials.

Once the trials are approved, however, there are roughly 100 doses of one of the candidates that are ready to be administered, Dr. Otim said. But even if a successful vaccine is identified, the manufacturing process may bring another delay.

Uganda has recorded 44 Ebola cases, the W.H.O. said. Ten people have died, four of them health workers. But the death toll could be as high as 30, with 20 probable cases of people who succumbed to the virus before it could be identified.

For now, the authorities are reliant on proven methods, like contact tracing and isolation. A mobile lab, erected in the outbreak's epicenter in the last few days, has cut down the turnaround time for testing to six hours from 24, said Dr. Yonas Tegegn Woldemariam, the W.H.O.'s representative in Uganda. Still, the virus has spread to five districts.

"If sufficient resources are there, yes, we can cope," Dr. Woldemariam said.

Now, onto the rest of the news …

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The underuse of Covid treatments is leading to many needless deaths.

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What else we're following

Coronavirus

About two percent of the population of England had Covid last week while infections continued to rise across all parts of the nation, The Guardian reports.
As a new wave appears to be forming in Europe, public health experts are concerned that vaccine fatigue will limit booster uptake, Reuters reports.

Booster rates are also lagging in the U.S., The Washington Post reports.
The San Francisco Chronicle looked at the variants that could fuel a winter surge in the U.S.

Monkeypox

New Zealand confirmed its first two cases of community transmission, The New Zealand Herald reports.
As cases drop, concerns linger about the intradermal injection, which can cause long-term discoloration or scarring, The Washington Post reports.
A new study found that the risk of infection to pets was low, NBC reports.
Five men spoke to The Washington Post about the toll of the virus.