Ebola Outbreak Hits Africa

JOINING US. AN OUTBREAK OF EBOLA IN CENTRAL AND EAST AFRICA RAISING ALARMS ABOUT THE ABILITY TO CONTAIN THE HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS VIRUS. NEW TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS ARE IN PLACE TO TRY TO KEEP THE VIRUS FROM ENTERING THE UNITED STATES. TRAVELERS FROM DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO, UGANDA AND SOUTH SUDAN MUST ARRIVE IN ONE OF 3 U.S. AIRPORTS TO BE SCREENED. THOSE AIRPORTS ARE IN ATLANTA, HOUSTON AND WASHINGTON, D.C., IN AFRICA. AT LEAST 1000 EBOLA CASES AND 220 DEATHS FROM THE VIRUS ARE SUSPECTED THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HAS ISSUED WARNINGS THAT THE SPREAD OF THE EPIDEMIC IS OUTPACING ANY RESPONSE EFFORTS. DOCTOR TYLER, BE EVANS IS AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST AND CEO OF WELLNESS EQUITY ALLIANCE. DR EVANS JOINS US NOW TO TELL US MORE ABOUT THE EBOLA OUTBREAK AND ITS IMPACT AND DR EVANS. YOU HAVE WORKED IN GLOBAL HEALTH ACROSS DOZENS OF COUNTRIES, INCLUDING IN SIERRA LEONE IN 2015 AND IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO IN 2019, DURING THE LARGEST RECORDED EBOLA OUTBREAKS IN HISTORY. CAN YOU TELL US WHAT IS EBOLA AND HOW IT IS TRANSMITTED? >> SURE. HAPPY TO. SO JUST ZOOMING OUT. WHAT IS THE BALL AS IT IS? IT'S AN RNA VIRUS AND ITS SPREAD THROUGH CONTACT. NOW THAT COULD BE THROUGH THAT COULD BE THROUGH DROPLETS. THAT COULD BE THROUGH A NUMBER OF OTHER SORT OF WAYS. BUT IT IS, YOU KNOW, IT IS VERY TRANSMISSIBLE. AND AND ACTUALLY DURING THAT, THE 2014 TO 2016 OUTBREAK, A LOT OF FOLKS ARE ACTUALLY GETTING INFECTED AND AS THEY WERE MANAGING THE CADAVERS. SO THE VIRAL LOAD ACTUALLY INCREASES SIGNIFICANTLY. IT'S UP. IT'S AT ITS HIGHEST WITHIN 48 HOURS AFTER DEATH. SO SO MANAGING THE CADAVERS IS IS IS VERY IMPORTANT. AND AND IN TERMS OF ITS SYMPTOMS, IT STARTS. IT'S IT CAN BE BROKEN DOWN INTO BASICALLY 3 DIFFERENT PHASES. THE FIRST PHASE AND ARE YOU ARE SORT OF FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS, VERY HIGH FEVER, MUSCLE ACHES. YOU COULD HAVE A COUGH, SOME OTHER UPPER RESPIRATORY INFECTION LIKE SYMPTOMS. BUT THE MUSCLE ACHES AND THE AND AND THE THE HIGH-GRADE FEVER, A KEY SECOND PHASE ARE BASICALLY THE GASTROINTESTINAL SYMPTOMS. AND AND THE 3RD PHASE IS BASICALLY THE HEMORRHAGIC. SO THAT'S KIND OF LIKE THE CLASSIC SORT OF BLEEDING OUT AND THAT THAT YOU'LL SEE WITH EBOLA AND INC FROM AN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL STANDPOINT, THIS IS THIS IS AS YOU MENTIONED, THIS IS VERY SERIOUS. THIS IS IN FROM THE WHO FREE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION FRAMING. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME IN HISTORY THAT THE BALL HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY OF INTERNATIONAL CONCERN OR PH D I C SO IT'S NOT A PANDEMIC, BUT IT'S IT'S SORT OF CLOSE TO THAT IN TERMS OF IN TERMS OF CONCERN. >> WHY IS IT SO DEADLY? I DO UNDERSTAND THERE IS NO VACCINE AS WELL. WHY IS IT SO DEADLY? >> I MEAN, THE REASON WHY IT'S SO THE CASE FATALITY RATE IN GENERAL FOR EBOLA CAN CAN FLUCTUATE ANYWHERE IS FROM 10 TO 2 TO ABOUT 50% IT WITH THAT WITH THE WITH THIS CURRENT STRAIN THAT THE BOOT, BUT IT. BUT YOU DO NEED A A STRAIN. IT SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 25 TO 50% IN GENERAL. THE REASON WHY IS BECAUSE MANY OF THESE FOLKS DO NOT GET INTO CARE AND IN FACT, ALMOST ALL EBOLA OUTBREAKS IN HISTORY HAVE TAKEN PLACE. THE FIRST EBOLA OUTBREAK TOOK PLACE IN THE 1970'S THAT WE KNOW OF. AND AND AND ALMOST ALL OF THEM HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN RURAL SETTINGS. AND SO A LOT OF THESE FOLKS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO HEALTH CARE. SO AS A RESULT OF NOT SORT OF GETTING THAT ACCESS, YOU KNOW, THEY THEY THEY OFTEN DO PASS AWAY IF FOLKS DO GET CARE, WHICH IS WHAT WE DESCRIBE A SUPPORTIVE, SUPPORTIVE TREATMENTS. THEY DO TEND TO DO, YOU KNOW, QUITE A BIT BETTER. SO THAT CASE FATALITY RATE WOULD SORT OF REDUCE. BUT THAT'S THAT REALLY WITH THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S CUES. THAT NUMBER FROM A SORT OF SOME FROM A PATHOLOGICAL STANDPOINT. WHAT WHAT EXACTLY THE SORT OF THE MECHANISM IS. IT'S REALLY THE HEMORRHAGIC COMPONENT WITH FOLKS SORT OF BLEEDING OUT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO HAVE THAT SUPPORTIVE TREATMENT WITH I, THE FLUIDS, ET CETERA. THAT'S REALLY WHAT CAUSES THAT THAT THAT SORT OF THAT LATELY FALLETTI. >> THE DOCTOR WHO IS MOST AT RISK FOR THIS. >> WHAT HEALTH CARE WORKERS, THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE NUMBER ONE. I SORT OF RISK FACTOR RIGHT NOW. ANYBODY WHO'S GOING TO BE SORT OF IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH THEM IN IN THIS PARTICULAR OUTBREAK? WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT AND WHY WHY WE ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT IT IS BECAUSE THERE'S REALLY 5 DIFFERENT REASONS. NUMBER ONE, WE HAVEN'T HAD THE PROPER TESTS TO REALLY START TRACKING THIS AT AN EARLY STAGE AND THE REASON THE REASON IS IS BECAUSE THIS IS AGAIN, THIS IS A THIS IS AN UNUSUAL STRAIN. NUMBER 2, WE DON'T HAVE VACCINATIONS ARE THERAPEUTICS THAT WE KNOW OF. WE ARE STILL TESTING TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THE VACCINATIONS HAVE ANY EFFECT. SO WRITE. BUT RIGHT NOW THE JURY IS OUT. NUMBER 3, THE CONFLICT IN CONGO IS IS ESSENTIALLY IT'S ONE OF THE MOST CONFLICTED NATIONS IN THE WORLD. AND IF NOT THE MOST, IF NOT THE MOST CONFLICTED. THE REASON THAT'S MOST IMPACT RIGHT NOW IN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC. CONGO IS ON THE EASTERN BORDERS IN THE TORY PROVINCE. THAT'S RIGHT. ON THE GONE TO RWANDA, BORDER AND IN A LOT OF THE START OF THE REBEL GROUPS AND A LOT OF THE CONFLICT IS TAKING PLACE RIGHT THERE. SO THE CONFLICTS ARE MAJOR ISSUE. INFRASTRUCTURE IS VERY POOR IN THIS AREA AND THAT THAT HAS THAT HAS BEEN EXACERBATED BECAUSE OF THE PULLOUT OF US. HE ID FOR FUNDING AS WELL LOT OF SORT OF ADDITIONAL FUNDING THAT WAS HELPING DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC CONGO AND UGANDA. BASICALLY TRACK AND RESPOND TO THESE TO THESE ISSUES IN REAL TIME. SO WE'LL SERIOUS CHALLENGES NATIONALLY AND THEN A AND THEN FINALLY THAT THE 5TH MAJOR CHALLENGE HERE IS THE URBAN INVOLVEMENT. SO LIKE I SAID BEFORE, ALMOST ALL OUTBREAKS IN THE PLATE IN THE IN THE PAST HAVE TAKEN PLACE IN RURAL AREAS. BUT THIS IS NOW IN 3 MAJOR AFRICAN CITIES. SO IT'S IN GOMA, KINSHASA AND KAMPALA. ONCE THE BALL ONCE ANY INFECTIOUS DISEASE, BUT PARTICULARLY EBOLA GETS INTO URBAN CENTERS, PARTICULARLY REALLY SORT OF CONCENTRATED CENTERS LIKE THE 3 THAT I JUST DESCRIBED. IT BECOMES IT BECOMES REALLY A CLUSTER BECOMES REALLY CHALLENGING 2 TO TRACE IT AND TO AND TO BASICALLY SORT OF ISOLATED. SO FOR THOSE FOR THOSE 5 REASONS, WE'RE WE'RE REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT ABOUT THE IMPACT HERE, BOTH FROM A SORT BUT FROM A REGIONAL STANDPOINT AS WELL, FROM A GLOBAL STANDPOINT, >> WHAT PRECAUTIONS WOULD YOU ADVISE FOR ANY TRAVELERS THAT ARE HEADING OUT FOR SUMMER TRIPS THAT THEY SHOULD BE AWARE OF. >> I THINK IT'S GOOD QUESTION. AND YES, SUMMER TRAVEL, YOU KNOW, I DON'T I DON'T WANT TO SORT OF, YOU KNOW, PRECIPITATE ANY SORT OF PANIC. I THINK FOR FOLKS THAT ARE THAT ARE TRAVELING NATIONALLY RIGHT NOW, I WOULD JUST KEEP AN EYE ON, YOU KNOW, ON THE ON THE CASE IS TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT THERE ARE ANY AMERICAN CASES. IF THERE ARE, IF THERE ARE ANY CASES IN THE U.S. AND THEN FOLKS ARE GOING TO REALLY, REALLY NEED TO BE VIGILANT. I MEAN, HAND HYGIENE IS IMPORTANT KNOWING WHERE THE CASES ARE. AND, YOU KNOW, REALLY INFORMATION IS IS REALLY IS AS POWERFUL RIGHT NOW, BUT THAT HAND HYGIENE, YOU KNOW, EVEN WHETHER IT'S EBOLA, WEATHERS NOROVIRUS, WHETHER IT'S ON TO VIRUS, WHETHER IT'S FLU, WHETHER IT'S COVID HAND HYGIENE IS KEY I'VE GOT 2 LITTLE ONES AND THEY'RE JUST, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE THEY'RE A KALEIDOSCOPE OF MICROBES. SO, YOU KNOW, DO YOUR HAPPY BIRTHDAYS WHEN YOU'RE WASHING YOUR HANDS? YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR EXPERTISE ON THE SUBJECT TODAY, DOCTOR.