The 2014 Ebola epidemic in West Africa is the largest in history, killing approximately 9,300 people so far according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Without a doubt this outbreak reminds us of the threat viruses pose to mankind.
According to American physician and epidemiologist Prof Donald Henderson, recipient of the Prince Mahidol Award 2014 in the field of public health, though Thailand is not geographically close to those Ebola-hit nations, it does not mean that we should be careless when it comes to the infection.
Professor Donald Henderson.
"So far, Ebola has not involved a very large number of countries. But imagine if the disease happened in Bangkok or in big cities and there is no protective vaccine available. The results could be serious," said Prof Henderson, a distinguished scholar at the Center for Health Security, University of Pittsburgh, as well as Dean Emeritus at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, in the US.
Henderson was chief medical officer for the World Health Organization's (WHO) smallpox eradication programme, which played an important role in wiping out one of the worst infectious diseases in history. He was also instrumental in initiating the global immunisation programme, which vaccinated more than 80% of the world's children. Through his experience of dealing with infectious diseases for most of his working life, the epidemiologist spoke in his special lecture last month at Siriraj Hospital on the threat of global viruses, covering the particular challenges of tackling Ebola.
The first recorded outbreak of Ebola occurred in 1976 in Yambuku, Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Zaire), a village located near the Ebola River, from which the virus took its name.
That outbreak lasted only two months. But the current outbreak that first hit West Africa last March has not been beaten.
"There's nothing very distinctive about this disease except for bleeding and only 18% of infected patients shows that symptom. Many times it may look like influenza or malaria," he said.
Henderson said the symptoms of Ebola make the disease difficult to work with as signs of infection may appear anywhere from two to 21 days after exposure to the virus.
"The death rate from Ebola has gone from 60% to 80%," Henderson said, adding that the virus spreads from human to human via direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other body fluids of infected people, and with materials contaminated with these fluids. It is often transmitted at the burial ceremonies of infected dead people.
"Even though staff are completely covered with gowns and masks when they carry dead bodies, it's very difficult for them to avoid the infection," said Henderson. Many people in Ebola-hit areas are reluctant to volunteer or work in healthcare for fear of being infected. However, Henderson does believe the situation with Ebola will get better. Yet it is likely that new infectious diseases will emerge at any time.
"Are we prepared to deal with the new virus? Remember that this Ebola virus almost came out of the blue. And here we don't have a vaccine or a drug. Who knows what will happen?" Henderson said.
Several more necessary measures are still required to come to terms with Ebola.
"We really need to get infectious epidemic disease expertise," he said. "We also need laboratories for diagnosis and research. We need to focus on categorising the virus. The threat we're facing is no longer just a medical concern, but it has uplifted into a national concern."
