The World Health Organization’s Emergency Committee on Friday held a meeting to discuss the spread of Ebola outbreak and declared that the ongoing outbreak does not the criteria of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern under the International Health Regulations of 2005, reported Africa News.
Notably, to be declared a global emergency of international concern, the epidemic must pose a risk to other countries and require a coordinated response. A global emergency of international concern triggers more funding and political attention.
According to the committee, the Ebola outbreak is an emergency for the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the region but does not meet the criteria for an international public health emergency. IN DRC, the outbreak, which is the second-deadliest in history, has affected 2,062 people and killed more than 1,400 since it was declared in August.
The organization reviewed the situation in DRC including the current epidemiological situation and response strategies, including changes instituted to improve community engagement. It made recommendations and encouraged strict border controls as Uganda has done, and preventive practices such as hand washing. It also suggested the administration of preventive vaccines to front-line health personnel.
Ebola spilled into Uganda this week after the first case stemmed from the outbreak on Tuesday, June 11. A 5-year-old Congolese boy who traveled across the border with family a few days earlier was the first to test positive for Ebola.
The Ugandan Health Ministry reported shortly after that the boy succumbed to his infection on June 12. One of his family members also tested positive by that time, the boy’s 50-year-old grandmother who also died of the disease on Wednesday.
The other family members of the deceased Ebola victims including have been repatriated from Uganda to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where they will be provided with experimental and therapeutic treatment.
