Red Cross workers walk in a formation as they disinfect Rwampara general hospital before handling the body of a person who died of Ebola, Ituri province, Democratic Republic of Congo, May 21.Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters
Within two weeks, the world was hit by two rare disease outbreaks. Passengers on a cruise ship were sickened by Andes hantavirus and residents of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo and nearby Uganda threatened by Bundibugyo Ebola.
The actions that followed – the ship turned away from a port, the frantic contact tracing of exposed passengers, health workers in protective suits, border restrictions, the slow response of public-health officials, the endless news stories evoking the viruses’ pandemic potential, the angry reactions to public-health measures, to name just a few – were creepy reminders of the early days of COVID-19.
It was enough to trigger a bad case of COVID PTSD.
It became clear quickly enough that neither of these viruses resembles the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Neither virus spreads easily.
Therefore, we can say with some certainty that neither of these outbreaks is the “next big one.”
The risk to Canadians is virtually nil. We can breathe sighs of relief.
But does that mean we shouldn’t care?
Every new infectious disease threat offers up new lessons, opportunities to learn and adjust our behaviour.
Opinion: The hantavirus outbreak should be Canada’s wake-up call
The principal lesson we can take from the response to Andes hantavirus and Bundibugyo Ebola is that surveillance systems are still lacking.
On April 6, a 70-year-old Dutch passenger aboard the MV Hondius fell ill; he died five days later. The death was dismissed because he was old, even though he was healthy and active until then. On April 24, his wife disembarked and, two days later, died. The next day, April 27, another passenger was medically evacuated, and on May 3, a different passenger died, totalling three deaths.
On May 4, the WHO confirmed the first death was due to Andes hantavirus, but the cruise continued with 147 passengers on board until May 10, when media coverage really began to ramp up.
One month is clearly far too long to wait to figure out that a rare virus that can spread person-to-person was infecting people. Pathogens exploit complacency.
In the end, there were three hantavirus deaths, and a dozen passengers infected, including one Canadian.
The response to Bundibugyo Ebola was also painfully slow.
The first death was recorded in the DRC on April 24, with a family member dying a couple of days later. But they tested negative for Zaire Ebola, the most common strain. It wasn’t until May 5 that the World Health Organization was alerted about a possible “high-mortality” outbreak. By then, at least 50 people were already dead.
On May 17, the WHO officially declared the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a public-health emergency of international concern, and then the media coverage began in earnest.
As of Sunday there were 904 suspected cases and, as of Monday, 220 suspected deaths from Bundibugyo Ebola in the DRC, and five confirmed cases and one death in Uganda.
Canada introduces enhanced border-screening measures as Ebola outbreak spreads
There is little doubt there are many more cases that have not been identified. The Ituri region of the Democratic Republic of Congo is beset by fighting, and there are one million displaced people living in poverty and largely unsanitary conditions.
Ebola is spread by contact with blood and bodily fluids and infections are spreading largely because of burial rituals, which involve family members washing the body, placing them at risk.
The risk of Bundibugyo Ebola spreading globally is low, and Andes hantavirus even lower.
But, as the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board warned last week in a well-timed report: “As infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent, they are also becoming more damaging with widening health, economic, political and social impacts, and less capacity to recover from them.”
Raging wars, climate change and cuts to international aid are all making it easier for pathogens to spread undetected.
Canadians should care about these outbreaks not because they are a direct threat but because a collective, compassionate response benefits us all. It’s not charity but rational self-interest.
With scars of COVID-19 still fresh, every little outbreak can spark existential dread. Or rage and denial.
We need to find the right balance between fear-mongering and calm-mongering. The right middle ground between indifferent and panicked not only in communications but preparedness.
Back in 2021, the G7 adopted a “100 Day Mission” plan to develop tests, treatments and vaccines within 100 days of an outbreak being identified.
This approach is what will keep us as safe as possible but only if we lean into it.
It has been said many times over the years but, in our interconnected world, an infectious disease anywhere can quickly become a threat everywhere.