Officials warn unprecedented disease outbreak is very dire: All countries should know that they are not safe

A disease that health officials have described as the fastest-spreading on record in Africa shows no signs of slowing down, and may soon afflict those outside the continent.The unprecedented spread of Ebola has resulted in thousands of cases, with Nigeria reporting its first case in more than a decade last month, and additional reports in Kenya and other African countries.While the majority of cases are currently affecting those in Africa, health experts are warning that the situation could change and countries should start increasing preparedness now.“We want all countries to know that they are not safe if they don’t take appropriate measures,” Dr.Jean Kaseya, director general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told The Guardian.Kaseya even compared the outbreak to COVID-19, stating that at the beginning of the pandemic in 2019 and early 2020, “many countries said there was zero risk of being affected, but a few months later, they became the hotspot.”The World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern in May after cases were first confirmed in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the death toll has surpassed 5,000.Cases have been linked to the Bundibugyo variant, a less common strain that has a high death rate and no approved treatment or vaccine.Once a human is infected, the disease spreads through contact with blood, bodily fluids or objects contaminated with infected fluids.The last outbreak of this strain occurred in 2012 in the Congo, with 57 cases and 29 deaths reported.The DRC has taken the brunt of the outbreak, reporting more than 10,200 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.Meanwhile, Uganda reported 20 cases in May and June and saw two deaths.

The country currently has no active Ebola cases.African health ministers will meet to urge greater cross-border cooperation, while Kaseya hopes screening and testing will be used for people coming from affected regions at points of...