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

A health worker wearing Ebola protection gear at an Ebola treatment centre in Beni, in the Democratic Republic of Congo. File photo: Reuters

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.
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