Did Trump's foreign aid cuts fuel the Ebola outbreak?
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You're listening to Shortwave from NPR. Hey, short wavers. Regina Barber here. And today I'm joined by NPR global health reporter Jonathan Lambert. Hey, John.
Hey, Gina.
So you're here today to talk about the ongoing Ebola outbreak.
Yeah, it's been just about the only thing I've covered over the past month and a half or so. The outbreak has gotten really big, really fast. It's already the third largest Ebola outbreak on record.
That's terrible. So where do the numbers stand right now?
As of now, there are over 1,000 confirmed cases and over 250 confirmed deaths, but the toll is likely much higher.
Why is that?
Well, many cases and deaths are probably going uncounted. The outbreak is centered in a region of the Democratic Republic of Congo that's really remote and battered by a lot of ongoing conflict.
I see how that could make responding to the outbreak a lot harder.
Yeah. And the virus got a head start. It was likely circulating for months before officials realized that it was. That's made it harder to rein in, which is really worrisome for a disease that, on average, kills about half the people it infects.
So do scientists have a sense of how bad it could get?
Well, the CDC projects that in the absence of robust control measures, as many as 20,000 people could be sick by August. If it continues at that pace, it could rival the 2014 to 2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which killed over 11,000 people. And there are concerns that it could spread more widely in the region.
So today on the show, how this became one of the largest Ebola outbreaks in history.
And what has to happen to treat patients and get it under control.
You're listening to Shorewave, the science podcast from NPR.
What is the current status of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
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OK, so, John, remind us of some of the basics of Ebola.
Yeah, it's a disease caused by a virus, specifically the ortho Ebola virus. The first known outbreak was in 1976 in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Since then, at least a couple dozen outbreaks have occurred, mostly from East to West Africa.
So what causes an outbreak to occur?
Usually it's a spillover event. That's when a virus that typically circulates in non-human animals jumps from an animal to a human. Scientists aren't sure how many animals harbor Ebola, but they do know that it circulates in some bats.
So how does this virus get from the bat to the human?
It's not exactly clear. In many parts of East and West Africa, some people eat bat meat for food and could get exposed that way. Exposure to guano or bat poop could be another route.
Yeah, this reminds me of COVID, but this infection is much more serious, right?
Right.
Why are the official numbers of Ebola cases likely underestimated?
Ebola is a very deadly disease, and its deadliness stems in part from a kind of sneakiness.
Like how? How is it sneaky?
So when the virus first infects a person, it goes straight for key immune cells. Typically, these cells help spur the production of antibodies, which allow the immune system to target a pathogen.
What challenges are faced in responding to the Ebola outbreak?
But by attacking these cells first, Ebola viruses delay this response.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–2:14
2
What is the current status of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo?
2:14–3:55
3
Why are the official numbers of Ebola cases likely underestimated?
3:55–4:15
4
What challenges are faced in responding to the Ebola outbreak?
4:15–5:02
5
How did the Ebola outbreak spread undetected for months?
5:02–13:03
Speakers
10 identifiedMore from Short Wave
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