The Most Concerning Outbreak Right Now Isn’t Ebola or Hantavirus

Singapore has seen two rare diseases recently: the Andes hantavirus and the Bundibugyo Ebola virus.

Meanwhile, over 500 children have died from another outbreak in the last two months, but it has received less attention.

Bangladesh is experiencing a bad measles outbreak with over 78,000 cases and most deaths in unvaccinated children under 5.

The Andes virus has caused 13 cases and 3 deaths, while the Ebola outbreak has over 1,000 cases and 220 deaths.

In an ideal world, attention would match the harm caused by a disease, but this is not always the case.

After COVID-19, people worry about diseases that could cause the next pandemic.

The Andes virus outbreak got attention because it is rare and deadly, and happened on a cruise ship.

Passengers and crew went to many countries, and some tested positive for the virus.

Ebola is also deadly and hard to deal with, with no approved vaccines or treatment.

The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

But this outbreak is seen as less of a risk outside of Africa because it has happened before.

Measles is a familiar disease with a known vaccine, so it does not get as much attention.

Despite being a leading cause of child deaths, measles does not get much attention.

Bangladesh’s measles outbreak is linked to political instability disrupting vaccination activities.

There is a global trend of measles outbreaks, with 59 countries reporting cases in 2024.

In Singapore, the number of measles cases is higher this year than in previous years.

This imbalance of attention and disease burden can have costs, like alert fatigue.

Misinformation can also spread, like false claims about vaccine harm.

Attention can shape how resources are allocated, which can lead to misallocation.

International health aid has come under pressure, and low-income countries may face reductions.

Pandemic preparedness should not compete with investments in primary care and universal health coverage.

Investing in public health and primary care is important for preventing outbreaks.

Singapore’s investments in public health have helped it respond to outbreaks.

Outbreaks are complex, and public health authorities must explain them quickly.

Communicating in a measured way is necessary to maintain attention on preventable diseases.

Outbreaks elsewhere can affect us all, so we should pay attention to all diseases.

We should pay more attention to diseases that we can prevent, like measles.

Dr Hsu Li Yang is the Director of the Asia Centre for Health Security.

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