The head of the World Health Organization said he’s “deeply concerned about the scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak sweeping through the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda after the death toll climbed above 100 people early this week.At least 131 people have died and 531 cases are suspected in the outbreak, according to Congolese health authorities. The outbreak has alarmed health officials around the world because the rare Ebola strain involved, known as the Bundibugyo virus, has no known vaccine or treatment.Ebola is a virus with four strains caused by the orthoebolavirus. Symptoms include fever, aches, diarrhoea, vomiting, and unexplained bleeding, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms usually begin 8-10 days after exposure to an orthoebolavirus. It spreads via human-to-human connection.
The mortality rate for Ebola averages at around 50%, but there have been outbreaks with a 90% mortality rate.
The outbreak began in Congo and likely spread unchecked for weeks, as contact tracing in the region has proven difficult.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned that the disease could spread rapidly because of “significant population movement.”
