Global health chiefs believe the Congo Ebola epidemic has become an emergency of global concern in the face of concerns that it might spread to other countries.
The World Health Organization’s statement spurred evidence that the disease had reached a main border town in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The status now provided to EVD recognizes that it poses a threat to other nations in terms of public health and therefore needs a coordinated global reaction.
“It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general.
“We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system.
“Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances. We all owe it to these responders – coming from not just WHO but also government, partners and communities – to shoulder more of the burden.”
After a session of the DRC’s International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, Dr. Tedros proclaimed the Ebola outbreak a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”
It was the emergency committee’s fourth meeting since last year’s recent Ebola outbreak was proclaimed on 1 August.
Recent developments in the epidemic were quoted by the committee – including the first confirmed case in Goma, a town of 2 million individuals on the Rwandan frontier.
In DRC, 2,512 verified or likely instances of Ebola were reported, including 136 affected health workers.
Beni is the epicenter of the crisis in the DRC, with 46 percent of cases in the last 3 weeks, but the case in Goma has caused alarm because every day 15,000 people cross the city border into Rwanda.
Members of the emergency commission voiced dissatisfaction with financing delays that restricted the reaction to EVD and made particular suggestions linked to the outbreak.
“This is about mothers, fathers and children – too often entire families are stricken. At the heart of this are communities and individual tragedies,” said Dr Tedros.
By maintaining transport paths and boundaries open, the committee strengthened the need to safeguard the livelihoods of the individuals most hit by the epidemic, arguing that it is vital to guarantee that the reaction to the disease does not penalize economically affected groups.
