Ebola Outbreak in DRC Declared 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern'

The World Health Organization on July 17 declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern. It also said that delays in funding had hampered its ability to respond.

At a high-level meeting in Geneva on July 15 to discuss the crisis, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO’s general director, warned that Ebola was “one of the most dangerous viruses in one of the world’s most dangerous areas”.

The WHO declaration came as a first case was confirmed in Goma, a city on the border with Rwanda and a “gateway to the rest of DRC and the world.” Credit: World Health Organization via Storyful