Emergency declared as Ebola breaks out in Congo

CONGO: The World Health Organization (WHO)  has declared  a “public health emergency of international concern”  just days after the first case of the virus was confirmed in the major city of Goma bordering with Rwanda.

The last time the global health body declared an international emergency for Ebola was during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people. The designation means this outbreak qualifies for a higher level of global vigilance and mobilization to stem its spread.

Ebola began spreading in Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu province last summer and has infected more than 2,500 and killed nearly 1,700, according to official Health Ministry figures.

The first time was in 2009 during the H1N1 influenza epidemic that is believed to have infected up to 200 million people worldwide; the second in May 2014 when a paralyzing form of polio re-emerged in Pakistan and Syria; the third in August 2014 with the Ebola epidemic that devastated West Africa; and the fourth in February 2016, with the Zika epidemic in Brazil.

The decision was taken by a committee of 10 scientists who had three times earlier declined to issue the declaration for the current outbreak.

(Agencies)