The virus is always present in nature and when circumstances allow, it may jump from one species to another.
- Principal Medical Scientist (PhD MPH), National Institute for Communicable Diseases
The current Ebola outbreak in the DRC is devastating vulnerable communities already affected by displacement and violence.
The new Ebola vaccine is yet to be licensed but evidence shows that it protects against the strain of the virus.
There have been ten Ebola outbreaks recorded from the DRC between 1976 and 2018 from different locations. This implies that the virus is widely spread.
Health authorities have raised the alarm after several cases of human rabies were reported in a space of four months.
In the 50 years following the discovery of the Marburg virus there have only been 12 known outbreaks.
The Ebola virus is known to occur in the Democratic Republic of Congo and outbreaks are not entirely unexpected. But health authorities must take swift action to contain the outbreak.
The massive yellow fever vaccination campaign highlights why existing programmes need to be strengthened.
Angola’s yellow fever outbreak has been declared a grade 2 emergency by the World Health Organisation.
Contact Jacqueline for
- General
- Media request
- Speaking request
- Consulting / Advising
- Research collaboration
- Research supervision
- Location: Pretoria, South Africa
- Website
- Article Feed
- Joined
