Former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Robert Redfield has warned that this month’s Ebola outbreak in Africa could escalate into a significant pandemic.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: Experts have warned that the current Ebola outbreak could turn into significant pandemic as the disease spreads to several East African countries. 📰 DETAIL: On Wednesday, Robert Redfield, former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), warned that this month’s Ebola outbreak in Africa could become a “very significant pandemic“ and a threat to global health. The warning follows news that the disease has likely spread to several East African countries, specifically Tanzania, South Sudan, and Rwanda. The vast majority of Ebola cases are caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which is historically concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, countries in Central and East Africa, respectively. There are 536 suspected cases and 134 suspected deaths from Ebola across the two countries. The former director also noted that experts were slow to recognize the outbreak, contributing to its rapid spread. “Normally when we have these Ebola outbreaks, and I had three of them when I was CDC director, all of which were in the DRC, normally we recognize them when we have five, ten cases, you know, at most… This one really wasn’t picked up until there was over 100 cases,” noted the former director. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “I suspect this is going to become a very significant pandemic, probably going to leak into Tanzania, leak into Southern Sudan, maybe leak into Rwanda.” – Robert Redfield 🎯 IMPACT: May’s Ebola outbreak is the 17th to occur in the region within the past 50 years. The most recent outbreak ended in December last year. Nevertheless, the former director emphasized that it has the potential to become “very disruptive” and move “very rapidly“ from country to country. Due to the rising number of cases and deaths, the U.S. State Department announced new travel advice on Thursday, including “enhanced public health screening” for U.S.-bound individuals who have visited the affected countries within 21 days of arrival. The enhanced screening will be carried out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the CDC. In late April, President Donald J. Trump signed a narrowly-approved bill funding the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) minus CBP and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The bill was signed to end a 76-day partial shutdown of the federal government. Republicans are reportedly developing an alternate funding bill for the agencies, which will be crucial in ensuring proper health screening. |
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