Ebola Spreads, Australia Faces Rise in Disease Risks

The germs that cause Ebola, hantavirus, and diphtheria are very small, but many things that stop them from spreading are big problems.

In a video game called Plague Inc, players try to create a pandemic and infect the world.

For a disease expert, this game is more than just fun.

She makes her students play it to help them understand how germs evolve and spread.

With Ebola, hantavirus, diphtheria, measles, and syphilis in the news, the game is starting to look like real life.

To understand how fast a disease spreads, scientists use a number called R-nought or R0.

This number shows how many people one sick person can infect.

It's not an exact number, but a complex math problem that considers how long someone is sick, how they spread the disease, and how many people they meet.

It's based on a group where everyone can get the disease.

But the R0 number is only part of the story.

In central Africa, one of the deadliest viruses, Ebola, has come back.

It's the first big outbreak in over a decade, and the World Health Organisation says it's a big public health problem.

The Bundibugyo strain of the virus is spreading in the DRC and Uganda, with over 1,000 cases and more than 260 deaths.

The Ebola virus has an R0 of 1.8, and the death rate is between 30% and 50%.

Health workers in Africa face many challenges, including ongoing violence and instability.

Thousands of people have been displaced, and health workers are also being attacked.

Another big challenge is that many people don't believe the disease exists.

A tour operator in the DRC said many people don't think the disease is real.

The UN is trying to stop misinformation with an online chatbot.

The key to controlling the epidemic is getting the community involved.

The head of the WHO says the agency is catching up with the disease.

A disease expert says Ebola can be controlled with the right help.

With good identification and isolation, the disease can be controlled.

Controlling Ebola is about safe isolation and management of waste.

But conflict and mistrust make it much harder.

The Australian government says the Ebola outbreak is concerning, but it won't impose travel restrictions yet.

An expert says the risk of Ebola reaching Australia is low, but the country needs to be prepared.

Australia is having its biggest diphtheria outbreak on record.

The government is spending $7.2 million on vaccines.

A disease expert says poor living conditions and racism are contributing to the outbreak.

She calls it a 'biblical disease' because it's an old disease that's coming back.

It's a re-emerging infectious disease.

A report says the world is more vulnerable to pandemics than it was before COVID.

Australia hasn't met its immunisation target for five-year-olds since 2020.

A disease expert says people are becoming too comfortable with vaccines.

Australia has been successful with vaccines, but levels are starting to fall.

If vaccine coverage continues to fall, there could be bigger outbreaks.

Measles is highly contagious and can infect up to 16 people.

Australia is at risk of more measles cases.

The country is in a precarious position.

Vaccination rates have declined, making the population more susceptible to diseases.

If this trend continues, it's hard to know what will happen with diseases like polio and tetanus.

The COVID pandemic has caused vaccine reluctance in the community.

Last year's flu season was horrific, with over 1,700 deaths.

The flu is a serious disease, but people are not taking it seriously.

Misinformation about vaccines is making things harder.

False information about vaccines is spreading online.

A disease expert is worried about the ability to respond to outbreaks in the current climate.

Some measures during the COVID pandemic may have eroded trust in the government.

Recommendations like wearing masks in cars alone don't make sense.

When advice doesn't make sense, people question the important messages.

In the game Plague Inc, the goal is to wipe out humanity.

A disease expert uses the game to show how diseases can spread silently.

It's a great way to help students understand how diseases evolve.

Australians need to be aware of the risks and how easily diseases can spread.

After COVID, people forgot about the risks.

But we can't afford to forget, and the risks are getting bigger.

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Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 7:00am

Thu 25 Jun 2026 at 7:39am

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