Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3019118/who-declares-ebola-outbreak-congo-global-health-emergency
World/ Africa

WHO declares Congo Ebola outbreak a global health emergency

  • Declaration comes days after a single case was confirmed in Goma, a major regional crossroads in northeastern Congo on the Rwanda border
  • A declaration of a global health emergency often brings greater international attention and aid
An Ebola virus virion. Photo: AP

The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo a “public health emergency of international concern”, a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics.

The year-old Ebola epidemic in eastern DR Congo, the second deadliest on record, has largely been contained to remote areas, but this week saw a patient diagnosed with the virus in provincial capital Goma, the first case in a major urban hub.