CASES of a mystery disease which has killed over 50 people and left hundreds sick in the Congo could rise and spread to the UK, an expert has warned.
The outbreaks in two distant villages in Congo‘s Equateur province began on January 21 and include 419 cases and 53 deaths.
A health worker works at the Ebola treatment centre in Macenta in Guinea[/caption]
Liberian nurses carry the body of an Ebola victim from a house for burial in the Banjor Community[/caption]
Health officials still do not know the cause, or whether the cases in the two villages, which are separated by more than 120 miles, are related.
It’s also unclear how the diseases are spreading including whether between people.
The first victims in one of the villages were children who ate a bat and died within 48 hours, the World Health Organization (WHO) said this week.
More infections were found in the other village where at least some of the patients have malaria.
Now Dr Zania Stamataki, Associate Professor in Viral Immunology at University of Birmingham, has said we are likely to see more cases in the coming days.
She said: “It is possible that we will see more cases.
“The incidents are currently correctly treated like an outbreak of infection, but it is not known how infection is transmitted, which makes it more difficult to contain.
“The best way to contain the outbreak is to isolate patients and stop travel in affected regions to prevent transmission.
“Viral infections can remain silent in the body for days before we start showing any symptoms.
“This is called the virus ‘incubation period’.
“While infected, a person could feel well enough to travel and mix with others in social events, which aids transmission.”
She was also asked how likely is it that this disease will spread across borders, potentially into the UK.
Dr Stamataki replied: “Infections know no borders and do not respect country lines.
“People travel and infections travel with them, either hitching a ride in a person or in animal carriers, so one cannot exclude spread outside of a country’s borders.
“In the UK and in other countries we need to remain vigilant and watch for symptoms.
“Symptoms of a haemorrhagic fever-type disease should be reported to the UK Health Security Agency via a registered medical practitioner.”
The time from the onset of symptoms to death is just 48 hours in most cases.
Bikoro Hospital medical director Serge Ngalebato said: “That’s what is really worrying.”
The outbreak began on January 21 in the town of Boloko, in the northwest of the African country.
It began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours, following hemorrhagic fever symptoms.
So far, 419 cases have been recorded, including 53 deaths, the World Health Organisation says.
Samples from 13 cases have been sent to the National Institute for Biomedical Research in Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.
All were negative for Ebola or common haemorrhagic fever diseases.
What are the symptoms?
Congo’s Ministry of Health said about 80 per cent of the patients share similar symptoms including fever, chills, body aches and diarrhoea.
While these symptoms can be caused by many common infections, health officials initially feared the symptoms and the quick deaths of some of the victims could also be a sign of a hemorrhagic fever such as Ebola, which was also linked to an infected animal.
However, Ebola and similar diseases including Marburg have been ruled out after more than a dozen samples were collected and tested in the capital of Kinshasa.
The WHO said it is investigating a number of possible causes, including malaria, viral hemorrhagic fever, food or water poisoning, typhoid fever and meningitis.
Congo’s health minister Roger Kamba attends a press conference in Kinshasa[/caption]
Officials participate in a training against the Ebola virus near the town of Beni[/caption]
