Ebola outbreak in Africa: Infectious disease expert explains the risks

The World Health Organization (WHO) has raised concerns over the scale and spread of the Ebola outbreak in Africa, as suspected cases and deaths continue to climb. As of Wednesday (May 20), there are over 130 suspected deaths and more than 500 suspected cases. The current Ebola outbreak – so far limited to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda – is due to a rare strain of the virus known as Bundibugyo. The WHO has intensified its response, deploying additional personnel and medical supplies after declaring the situation an international health emergency. On CNA's Asia First, Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of Boston University’s Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases, explains what the Bundibugyo strain is, how the virus spreads, why this outbreak is proving difficult to contain, and why the risk of a global pandemic remains low. Subscribe to our channel here: https://cna.asia/youtubesub Visit our website: https://cna.asia Download our app: https://cna.asia/app Get our editors' picks of stories via chat apps: Telegram: https://cna.asia/telegram WhatsApp: https://cna.asia/whatsapp Follow us on these platforms: https://www.facebook.com/channelnewsasia https://www.instagram.com/channelnewsasia https://www.tiktok.com/@channelnewsasia