WHO warns over Congo Ebola outbreak

THE Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is likely to worsen significantly unless the response to it is stepped up, an emergency committee of experts convened by the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.

However, it does not yet constitute a public health emergency of international concern, the emergency committee said.

“The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, WHO, and partners must intensify the current response. Without this, the situation is likely to deteriorate significantly,” the committee said in a statement.

There have been 139 deaths and 215 probable and confirmed cases in the outbreak, which was declared on August 1. The WHO has said it could spread at any time to neighboring Uganda or Rwanda, although both countries were well prepared.

“We do have some optimism that this outbreak will be brought under control in a reasonable time,” committee Chairman Robert Steffen said at WHO headquarters in Geneva.

Declaring a PHEIC, the first since the Latin American Zika virus outbreak in February 2016, would have ramped up the pace of the response, said Jeremy Farrar, head of Britain’s Wellcome Trust.

“Declaring this could have released more resources, including finance, health care workers, enhanced security and infrastructure — as well as more international political support,” he said in a statement.

But Steffen said there were also disadvantages, such as travel and transport restrictions that could hinder the fight against Ebola. The committee said it was particularly important that no such restrictions were imposed.