End of Ebola outbreak in Congo – Success for WHO – Health

The Ebola outbreak in Congo is over. For the WHO, it's a triumph, but the world is far from over.

The Democratic Republic of Congo can breathe a sigh of relief. The Ministry of Health said Tuesday the outbreak of Ebola in the African country. It's an end with symbolism. The World Health Organization (WHO) lost a lot of confidence in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa in 2014. However, it responded quickly and in a coordinated way to the current epidemic in Congo, communicating in a transparent way and building confidence.

The new director of the WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, sent a strong political signal when he immediately went to the region in crisis. For the first time, a vaccine was also used; more than 3000 doses were administered by aids. A company extremely difficult from a logistic point of view, because the serum had to be transported at about 80 degrees Celsius, even in areas where electricity and paved roads are scarce.

All of this has paid off. With 53 patients and 29 deaths, hatching was relatively benign. The WHO has passed this test

The WHO is chronically underfunded

But the world certainly is not. Because the WHO can still change so many structures, design emergency plans and create funds. The failings of the Member States can not compensate them. The world's largest health authority is chronically underfunded; many of the member countries are still not equipped to quickly diagnose and control outbreaks. The United States has even announced cuts of $ 1 million in infection control and emergency assistance.

Such short-sighted action could have fatal consequences – even beyond the symbolic Ebola. No one with expertise doubts that devastating epidemics will continue to ignite in the future. In the globalized world, communicable diseases can spread rapidly around the world. The global community is far from being adequately prepared for this challenge