The World Health Organisation has warned that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo poses a high risk within the country and neighbouring regions, although the global threat remains low for now.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus disclosed on Wednesday that 51 confirmed Ebola cases have so far been recorded in eastern DR Congo, particularly in Ituri and North Kivu provinces.
“WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level,” Tedros said.
The health agency also confirmed that Uganda has recorded two Ebola cases in Kampala, including one death, while an American working in DR Congo tested positive and has been transferred to Germany for treatment.
According to WHO, nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths are currently under investigation, with fears the figures could rise further.
“We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected,” Tedros stated.
WHO officials revealed that the outbreak may have been spreading undetected in eastern Congo for months before authorities identified it.
Anais Legand, WHO technical officer on viral haemorrhagic fevers, said investigations into the origin and timeline of the outbreak were still ongoing.
“Given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago,” she explained.
Despite the growing cases, WHO’s emergency committee said the outbreak does not yet meet the threshold for a global pandemic emergency.
The outbreak has also sparked criticism from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who accused WHO of reacting late to the crisis.
Responding to the remarks, Tedros suggested the criticism may stem from a misunderstanding of WHO’s responsibilities during disease outbreaks.
AFP
