Former chief sanitary doctor of Russia, deputy State Duma Gennady Onishchenko appreciated the message of the microbiologist from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) Jean-Jacques Muembe-Tamfum, who first discovered the virus Ebola, that a deadly new “Disease X” could appear in his country. His words on Sunday, January 3, quoted Izvestia .
As noted by Onishchenko, the professional community, in particular World Health Organization (WHO) , it is necessary to pay close attention to the statements of the African scientist. “Now I think that the World Health Organization should form a group of experts and go and figure this out,” the MP said.
He stressed that the emergence of new infections is inevitable, since it is part of the evolutionary process. According to Onishchenko, if the virus detected in the DRC is close to Ebola, it will be easier for scientists to cope with it.
At the same time, according to the expert, specialists should check the information provided by Muembe-Tamfum in order to prevent the spread of rumors and speculation in this regard.
Earlier in January, Muembe-Tamfum warned about the possibility of a deadly ” Diseases X “. According to the doctor, one of his patients had early symptoms of hemorrhagic fever, while her tests for Ebola and other known diseases showed negative results. He believes that this woman could become patient zero with the new disease. The disease is thought to be as contagious as the coronavirus, with deaths from infection reaching 50 to 90 percent of Ebola deaths.