The World Health Organization says the Ebola virus outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is still a global emergency. The EVD, Ebola Virus Disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo was declared on the 1st of August 2018.
On the 17th of July 2019, WHO director-general announced that the Ebola virus outbreak in Congo a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general said it was time for the world to redouble their efforts to end the outbreak and build a better health system.
The outbreak was classified as a Level 3 emergency by the WHO months after the outbreak. Level 3 emergency is a single or multiple country event with significant public health consequences that requires a significant World Customs Organisation (WCO) or World Health Organization WHO response.
About 3,308 confirmed cases have been recorded and about 2,250 deaths have been recorded since the outbreak was declared on the 1st of August 2019.
Although there has been a decrease in the number of recorded cases which is extremely positive, according to the WHO but according to Dr Ghebreyesus, as long as there is a single case of Ebola in a country as insecure and unstable as the Democratic Republic of Congo, the potential remains for a much larger epidemic.