Bangkok: It is unlikely that Ebola will spread to Thailand, according to Dr. Yong Poovorawan, MD, a Royal Academician and Director of the Clinical Virology Center at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University. Dr. Yong made this statement on Facebook, emphasizing that the probability of Ebola reaching Thailand is very low. Ebola, known for its high mortality rate of up to 50%, causes severe symptoms that limit the mobility of infected individuals, reducing the likelihood of international travel.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Yong explained that diseases capable of causing a global pandemic, such as COVID-19, are typically less severe and can spread more easily through travel. He compared the potential spread of Ebola to that of influenza, noting that a person infected with a less severe disease could easily travel between cities, such as from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, facilitating rapid transmission.
Ebola is part of the viral hemorrhagic fever group, caused by a virus in the genus Ebolavirus. It has a high mortality rate ranging from 25-90%, depending on the strain and the public healthcare system. The disease was first identified near the Ebola River in the Republic of Congo in 1976 and has since had sporadic outbreaks, mainly in rural Africa.
The current outbreak, affecting the Republic of Congo and Uganda, involves the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain, which has infected over 250 people and resulted in more than 80 deaths. Unlike the Zaire strain, for which a vaccine exists, there is currently no vaccine for the Bundibugyo strain.
Ebola spreads primarily through direct contact with infected individuals or animals, and traditional practices such as cleaning corpses before ceremonies can facilitate transmission. Outbreaks often occur in rural areas, leading to high rates of hospital-acquired infections and significant mortality among healthcare workers.
Symptoms of Ebola include sudden fever, fatigue, headache, muscle aches, and sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, and internal and external bleeding. The disease's severity limits its potential to spread widely across countries or continents.
The World Health Organization stresses the importance of preventing exposure to the virus and developing strain-specific vaccines. Although Thailand is geographically distant from the current outbreak's epicenter, and the disease's severity limits its spread, it remains crucial to provide accurate information about Ebola.