Following cautious optimism from the WHO that the outbreak of Ebola in the Congo could be contained, Ebola spent a few weeks spreading fast and breaking records. Unfortunately, violence and disruption in the regions most heavily affected by Ebola are making it hard for doctors to contain the outbreak.
If you’ve been following along, then you already know the details. This is the second biggest outbreak of Ebola, the first being the Ebola outbreak that lasted from 2013-to 2016. While it’s currently nestled in the Congo where local violence is helping to spread it (treatment centers are attacked, moving populations means tracking patients is harder, and food shortages related to transient lifestyles and violence mean the consumption of more bushmeat and possibly new sources of the virus), the Ebola outbreak is also near the border, meaning it could easily spread to other countries.
It’s already known that several of the recent cases occurred outside of treatment venters and likely spread the virus to others. Recent research revealed that as many as 25% of people in the area don’t believe Ebola is real, and therefore wouldn’t take precautions against contracting it when dealing with a sick person, dead body, or other sources of contamination. It looks likely that there are many more months ahead of trying to contain Ebola.
For now, this doesn’t directly affect the rest of the world. If you travel, keep an eye on the news in case you cross paths with an infected person (reports come out when there are suspected cases in uninfected countries, the US had two suspected cases last year).
Keep your immune system support up, especially when traveling. Besides Ebola, there is plenty of other tropical diseases flourishing right now! Bring an extra bottle of colloidal silver with you when you travel.
