The interval between the onset of symptoms and death has been 48 hours in the majority of cases, and “that’s what’s really worrying,” Serge Ngalebato, medical director of Bikoro Hospital, a regional monitoring center, told The Associated Press.

The latest disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo began on Jan. 21, and 419 cases have been recorded including 53 deaths.

According to the WHO’s Africa office, the first outbreak in the town of Boloko began after three children ate a bat and died within 48 hours following hemorrhagic fever symptoms.

  • ColeSloth
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    81
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    1 day ago

    Unless there’s a longer dormant period where this is contagious, but shows no symptoms, this disease kills too quickly to become a world pandemic.

    • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      10 hours ago

      That’s true with a higher mortality rate.

      It has killed around 10 percent of victims, so it can be spread by the rest.

    • Kushan@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      56
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 day ago

      Anyone that’s played plague Inc knows how this goes. It’s not a winning strategy.

      • robbinhood@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        23
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        Yeah but one of these days a virus is going to get smart and start up in New Zealand and Madagascar. Chuck in a long asymptomatic (edit: contagious period) and game over.

        Come to think of it, why haven’t viruses done this yet? What are they, stupid?

        • Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          19
          ·
          1 day ago

          What I never got about this game is that when the virus mutates, ALL copies of that virus mutate in the exact same way. Couldn’t they make a realistic version?

          • JcbAzPx@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            13
            ·
            22 hours ago

            A realistic version would be pretty boring. That’s basically the same as just working for the CDC.

            • jj4211@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              4
              ·
              10 hours ago

              Under this administration, working for the CDC is probably not as boring as it usually is.

        • vrighter
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          9
          ·
          1 day ago

          we could all just move to greenland and close the ports

          • robbinhood@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            12
            ·
            1 day ago

            Oh shit bro delete this. We don’t need to be giving Trump any ideas.

            It’s a bit of a toss up for me between staying in virus plagued USA or locating to Trump’s new monarchy in Greenland.

        • sadbehr@lemmy.nz
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          6
          ·
          1 day ago

          Hello! I’m from New Zealand. Why is the scenario of a virus starting here a bad thing?

          • robbinhood@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            19
            ·
            1 day ago

            It’s a Plague Inc. joke. In this game, you’re the virus/bacteria, or whatever other disease. You guide the virus’s evolution with the aim to destroy humanity.

            The virus slowly spreads across the earth through planes, boats, etc.

            There are a few really isolated spots, including New Zealand, that are hard to get to and they often seal their borders very quickly. When that happens you lose.

            So the smart first step is to start the virus in one of the hard to reach places.