UN: Ebola outbreak is worrying but it’s not a global emergency

GENEVA >> The World Health Organization says it is “deeply concerned” by the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Congo but the situation does not yet warrant being declared a global emergency.

After convening an expert group to assess the epidemic on Wednesday, the U.N. health agency said “response activities need to be intensified and ongoing vigilance is critical.”

Aid organizations have expressed alarm as the rate of new Ebola cases more than doubled this month and resistance to efforts to stop the virus has turned violent. WHO has warned the risk of Ebola spreading in the region is “very high” as confirmed cases were reported close to the Ugandan border. It says the risk of international spread is low.

Congo says there have been 181 confirmed cases, including 104 deaths.

To warrant being declared a global emergency, an outbreak must be “an extraordinary event” that might cross borders, requiring a coordinated response. WHO has previously made such pronouncements for epidemics, including Zika in the Americas in 2016, Ebola in West Africa in 2014 and the swine flu pandemic in 2009.

Robert Steffen, chair of the WHO’s emergency committee, said that since there is already high awareness of the epidemic’s dangers and an extensive response in Congo, there was “no added value” to declaring a global emergency.

Last week, Congo’s health minister said the majority of cases were not previously identified contacts of other Ebola patients, meaning officials aren’t able to easily track where the virus is spreading. It said these patients’ links to Ebola “were only identified after profound investigation.” Most of the newly confirmed cases have been in Beni, where there has sometimes been violent resistance to outbreak responders.

Earlier this month new measures were introduced in Beni, including authorization for health teams to call on security forces during safe burials and criminal sanctions against those who hide suspected cases or don’t send them to Ebola clinics. Experts said such suspicion was fueling the epidemic.

“It’s very worrying that new cases are appearing that we can’t trace,” said Julie Fischer, a global health expert at Georgetown University. She said shutting down an Ebola outbreak often requires that aid workers convince people to avoid risky behaviors like traditional burial practices and poor infection control. “If there’s no trust in these experts, it’s hard. But if there’s violence, it’s impossible.”