90-Second Read: Opinion: Should we care about far away outbreaks of infectious disease?

Gradel Muyisa Mumbere/Reuters Within two weeks, the world was hit by two rare disease outbreaks. Opinion: The Hantavirus outbreak should be Canada's wake-up call The principal lesson we can take from the response to Andes Hantavirus and Bundibugyo Ebola is that surveillance systems are still lacking. Canadians should care about these outbreaks not because they are a direct threat, but because a collective, compassionate response benefits us all. Passengers on a cruise ship were sickened by Andes Hantavirus, and residents of the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo and nearby Uganda threatened by Bundibugyo Ebola.

On May 4, the WHO confirmed the first death was due to Andes Hantavirus, but the cruise continued with 147 passengers on board until May 10, when media coverage really began to ramp up. It wasn't until May 5 that the World Health Organization was alerted about a possible "high mortality" outbreak. Canada introduces enhanced border-screening measures as Ebola outbreak spreads There is little doubt there are many more cases that have not been identified. It became clear quickly enough that neither of these viruses resembles the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

One month is clearly far too long to wait figure out that a rare virus that can spread person-to-person was infecting people. On May 17, the WHO officially declared the Ebola outbreak in DRC and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern, and then the media coverage began in earnest. Ebola is spread by contact with blood and bodily fluids and infections are spreading largely because of burial rituals, which involve family members washing the body, placing them at risk. The risk of Bundibugyo Ebola spreading globally is low, and Andes Hantavirus even lower.

In the end, there were three Hantavirus deaths, and a dozen passengers infected, including one Canadian. As of Sunday there were 904 suspected cases and, as of Monday, 220 suspected deaths from Bundibugyo Ebola in the DRC, and five confirmed cases and one death in Uganda. The next day, April 27, another passenger was medically evacuated, and on May 3, a different passenger died, totalling three deaths.