GENEVA (AP) — The ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo does not yet warrant being declared a global emergency but is of “deep concern,” the World Health Organization said Friday.
Following a meeting of its expert committee, the U.N. health agency called for efforts to be redoubled to stop the deadly virus, noting that the recent spike in Ebola cases raises the risk of spread to other countries.
The outbreak announced on Aug. 1 has become the second-deadliest in history, behind the West African one from 2014-16 that killed more than 11,300 people. Congo’s health ministry on Thursday reported 1,206 confirmed and probable cases, including 764 deaths.
This is the second time the expert committee has decided this outbreak is not yet a global emergency. Committee chair Robert Steffen called Friday’s decision unanimous and said the experts had feared making the declaration might even hurt response efforts. He did not give details but said experts were “moderately optimistic” the outbreak could be contained within a “foreseeable time.”
Ahead of the WHO announcement, a top Red Cross official said he was “more concerned than I have ever been” about Ebola’s possible regional spread.
Emanuele Capobianco, head of health and care at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, cited Congolese health ministry data showing 40 new cases over two days this week. He called that rate unprecedented in this outbreak.
To be designated a public health emergency of international concern, a situation must be “serious, unusual or unexpected,” threaten to infect other countries and require “immediate international action.”...
