The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has issued a statement on Ebola following a rise in cases worldwide. Although only four confirmed cases of the disease have been recorded in the UK since 1976, the global increase has prompted concern among experts.
Public Health Emergency Declared
Earlier this year, the World Health Organisation Director-General determined that the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda constitutes a public health emergency of international concern. As of October 11, 9,066 confirmed cases and 4,381 confirmed deaths had been reported in the DRC.
In response, the UKHSA issued a new statement noting that while the risk to the UK is “low risk,” the NHS has “established procedures and specialist centres for managing any suspected cases”.
Fatality Rate and Transmission
Within the statement, the UKHSA detailed the seriousness of the disease: “Ebola is rare but can be fatal. The average case fatality rate is around 50%, though this has ranged from 25% to 90% in past outbreaks, depending on the virus species and other factors, including patients' age and access to care.”
On transmission, the UKHSA said: “Ebola spreads through close contact. Person-to-person transmission happens through contact with the body fluids of someone who is infected, sick or has died from the disease, or through contact with contaminated objects such as needles or soiled clothing.
“In rarer cases, people become infected through contact with infected animals, such as bats or non-human primates, in countries where the virus is present. Fruit bats are believed to be the natural reservoir for the virus: a species where the virus can live, grow, and multiply.
“Importantly, an infected person can only spread the virus once symptoms begin. There's no evidence that Ebola spreads through intact skin, or through coughing or sneezing, in the way that flu or COVID-19 does. The virus can also persist in certain parts of the body, including the testes, eyes and central nervous system, after someone has recovered, and transmission through sexual contact with a survivor has been documented, with the virus detectable in semen for over a year.”
Symptoms and Diagnosis
Symptoms of Ebola typically appear suddenly within 2 to 21 days of infection, starting as flu-like complaints such as fever, severe fatigue, muscle aches, sore throat, and headache. Within a few days, the illness often progresses to vomiting, diarrhoea, and stomach pain, which may be followed by rashes, breathing difficulties, jaundice, and in severe cases, internal and external bleeding.
Because these initial signs easily mimic diseases like malaria, typhoid, or meningitis, confirming the infection requires specialised laboratory testing under high-level biological containment.
