Ebola in Central Africa, a hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship that has spread to several nations, and a norovirus outbreak on a European cruise ship are all occurring simultaneously.
According to the BBC Ebola report, Africa’s top public health agency has declared an Ebola outbreak in the eastern Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The state recorded 246 cases and 65 deaths in the mining towns of Mongwalu and Rwampara.
Meanwhile, in the United States, the CDC is monitoring 41 people across 16 states for potential exposure to the rare Andes strain of hantavirus following the outbreak at an Antarctic cruise ship.
French authorities have also confirmed a norovirus outbreak aboard the cruise ship Ambition after dozens of passengers developed gastrointestinal symptoms while docked in Bordeaux.
Ebola spreads in Central Africa
The Ebola outbreak in DR Congo marks the country’s 17th recorded outbreak since the virus was first discovered there in 1976.
Africa CDC said preliminary testing at the Institut National de Recherche Biomédicale in Kinshasa detected Ebola in 13 out of 20 analysed samples. According to the Africa CDC, four of the 65 deaths were recorded as lab-confirmed cases.
Bunia, the provincial capital of Ituri, has reportedly reported further suspected cases, though test confirmation is still awaited.
Due to the urban environments of Rwampara and Bunia, as well as the mining operations in Mongwalu, the Africa CDC expressed alarm about the high risk of further spread.
Authorities in the US have warned US citizens abroad that cross-border travel between DR Congo and neighboring countries could increase transmission risks.
Uganda has also confirmed one imported Ebola case on Friday. A 59-year-old Congolese man died in Kampala after testing positive. Ugandan authorities said no local transmission has yet been detected.
The deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo occurred between 2018 and 2020, which killed nearly 2,300 people. An epidemic in the isolated area of Bulape in the central Kasai province claimed 45 lives last year.
Did Hantavirus spread in the US?
In the United States, the CDC said 41 individuals across 16 states are being monitored after possible exposure to the Andes strain of hantavirus during a cruise expedition that departed from Ushuaia, Argentina.
The Andes strain is significant because it is the only known hantavirus capable of spreading from person to person. Most hantavirus infections are normally transmitted through rodent exposure.
So far, 10 cases and three deaths have been reported globally. However, no confirmed Andes strain cases currently exist in the US, according to the CDC.
A former American cruise ship passenger tested positive for the hantavirus but has since tested negative, and another person is exhibiting symptoms but has tested negative. According to the CDC, testing is only advised for those who exhibit symptoms and have been exposed.
The remaining Americans who have been exposed do not exhibit any symptoms. According to the CDC, there is currently “extremely low” risk to the American population from the hantavirus outbreak.
Health officials said exposed individuals are being monitored in states including California, Texas, Georgia, New York, Maryland, Arizona, Washington and North Carolina. Some are also quarantined at medical facilities in Nebraska and Atlanta.
Norovirus outbreak on a cruise ship
France confirmed a separate norovirus outbreak aboard the Ambition cruise ship after 49 passengers fell ill with vomiting and diarrhea while docked in Bordeaux. French authorities later cleared healthy passengers to disembark after laboratory tests confirmed the cause as norovirus.
Norovirus, often called the “stomach flu,” spreads rapidly in enclosed environments including cruise ships, schools and hospitals. Unlike Ebola and hantavirus, it typically causes short-term gastrointestinal illness, and most patients recover within two days.
