Reuters named the source of the Ebola outbreak in Africa

The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda probably began after a new animal-to-human transmission of the virus. This was reported by the Reuters news agency on August 11.

"Researchers from Congo, Uganda, Belgium and other countries analyzed the genetic makeup of virus samples taken from 22 patients in Congo and Uganda and found that the strain that caused the outbreak is genetically different from previous Ebola viruses found in Bundibugo during outbreaks in 2007 and 2012," the publication says.

The results of the study suggest that the outbreak began "with a new case of animal-to-human transmission of the virus, and then spread among humans." It is noted that during the study it was not possible to identify the animal source of the outbreak. Genetic analysis has helped confirm that the cases identified in Uganda are linked to the outbreak in DR Congo.

The authors of the study believe that increasing access to virus testing and sequencing will make it possible to detect future outbreaks earlier and more effectively contain their spread. At the same time, there is no approved vaccine or treatment method for Ebola virus Bundibugio, although appropriate drugs are in development.

Drugs and requirements: without a vaccine, the Ebola outbreak in Africa will drag on for years

It is not known when doctors will receive the means to fight the infection.

Bloomberg reported on July 27 that the current outbreak of Ebola in the DRC may become the second largest in the history of observations. The last outbreak of the disease, which is the second largest in the world, reached 2,687 confirmed cases about a year after it began. The current Ebola outbreak exceeded that number less than 10 weeks after it was announced.

According to data on August 10, almost 2 thousand people died in the DRC within three months after the outbreak of the fever epidemic. It is specified that 60-70% of the victims of the epidemic situation died while at home. The representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Africa, Mohammed Janabi, stressed that it is necessary to continue to bring to the attention of the population the importance of timely seeking medical help.