WHO experts determine if Ebola outbreak in Congo is an international emergency

LONDON (Reuters) – The World Health Organization (WHO) announced Wednesday the convening of a panel of experts to determine whether an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was a public health emergency of international concern.

The panel, which met for the first time on this issue in October 2018, will also make up-to-date recommendations on how global health officials should manage the epidemic, said the official. WHO in a statement from its headquarters in Geneva.

At least 740 people died among the more than 1,100 people infected by this epidemic that began in August 2018.

By declaring the epidemic a "public health emergency of international concern", PHEIC would strengthen the international response with a formal alert that would alert governments and help mobilize resources and research.

The WHO said that if the epidemic is contained in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, efforts to control it in these urban areas have been hampered by security and safety problems. # 39; access. As a result, transmission of the Ebola virus has increased in some areas.

"Although the risk of spread in the interior of the country and in neighboring countries is very high, the risk remains low globally," added the WHO statement.

The emergency committee meeting will be held on Friday, April 12, and its decision will be released late the same day.