A rare strain of Ebola has been suspected or confirmed in at least 64 cases in Uganda, and global health experts are concerned because no vaccines or treatments exist, Nature reported Oct. 7.
"It’s definitely concerning," Daniel Bausch, director of emerging threats and global health security at Find, the global alliance for diagnostics in Geneva, Switzerland, told Nature. "The slope of that curve is pretty sharp."
The last outbreak caused by this strain, named Sudan ebolavirus, occurred in 2012, also in Uganda. Researchers have not been able to test vaccine candidates thoroughly given the rarity of the strain, but six candidates are currently in various stages of testing.
The CDC issued an alert Oct. 6 for physicians to look out for cases, but the U.S. has not identified any suspected or confirmed cases.
Gary Kobinger, PhD, a virologist at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston specializing in Ebola, told Nature the outbreak is at a "make-or-break moment." Dr. Kobinger said he hopes containment measures will be successful but fears that the outbreak could "really get out of hand."