WHO Says Ebola Not a "Pandemic Emergency," and U.S. Criticism over Response May Be Down to "Misunderstanding"
WHO said the outbreak has 51 confirmed cases and nearly 600 suspected cases, with investigations under way into wider spread.
- On Sunday, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern, though the emergency committee determined it does not meet pandemic emergency thresholds.
- The virus has likely been circulating for months in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, where 51 cases are confirmed while officials suspect nearly 600 cases and 139 deaths amid persistent regional insecurity.
- Surveillance efforts face "inherently challenging" conditions in remote areas, WHO Regional Director for Africa Dr Mohamed Yakub Janabi explained, as samples require transport 1,700 kilometres to Kinshasa for laboratory confirmation.
- U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticized the WHO on Tuesday as "a little late" in identifying the outbreak, prompting Tedros to suggest the secretary may lack understanding of the organization's role under International Health Regulations.
- WHO teams work with community leaders in Ituri to prevent wider transmission while investigations continue, as there are no available vaccines or therapeutics for this rare Ebola Bundibugyo virus strain.
29 Articles
29 Articles
WHO Drops Massive Update on Truth About Ebola Outbreak, Provides Realistic Timeframe for Vaccine Availability
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has enlightened the public about the Ebola outbreak. The WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern over a rising Ebola outbreak in Central Africa. However, officials stressed the crisis has not reached pandemic proportions, per The New York Times. The announcement followed a meeting of the WHO emergency committee on Tuesday. Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reassured th…
In the last weekend, the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, decreed that the outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda represents a public health emergency of international importance, the highest alert stage of the organization. The head of WHO said that the scenario still does not meet the criteria of "pandemic emergency", according to the definition of Internat…
Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda reaches nearly 600 suspected cases
An Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda has grown to nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths, with the head of WHO warning that the true scale of the epidemic is “much larger.” WHO Director General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing Wednesday that 51 cases have been confirmed in the DRC, in the northern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu, including in the cities of Bunia and Goma. “Although we…
DR Congo Ebola risk high regionally, low worldwide: WHO
The deadly Ebola outbreak raging in central Africa probably began several months ago, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, deeming the risk high in the region but low worldwide. WHO experts said that investigations were under way into the origins of the outbreak, which was declared in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo last Friday, but the suspicion was that the contagious haemorrhagic fever had been spreading under the radar for some…
WHO does not see the danger of a pandemic. However, it expects Ebola to spread further in DR Congo. An infected US doctor is for treatment in Germany - his family is now to come to Berlin.
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