WHO raise Ebola risk in the Congo to ‘very high’ after outbreak kills 23 people, infects another 44 and spreads to city of a million people

Friday, May 18, 2018
By Paul Martin

Eleven new cases of Ebola have been identified in the northwest town of Bikoro
Forty-four people are already believed to have been infected with deadly virus
So far 23 deaths have been recorded in the outbreak but mostly in isolated areas
Discovery in city of 1 million has sparked fears of an ‘explosive increase’ in cases
World Health Organisation have also said the regional risk in the country is ‘high’
WHO considering declaring ‘public health emergency of international concern’

By JULIAN ROBINSON and PHOEBE SOUTHWORTH
DAILYMAIL.COM
18 May 2018

The World Health Organisation has raised the Ebola risk in the Congo to ‘very high’ as experts try to contain the deadly virus, which has spread to a city of a million people.

An experts’ meeting is being held today to determine whether the epidemic warrants being declared a global health emergency as 23 deaths have been reported so far.

Eleven new cases were identified in the northwest town of Bikoro, according to a health ministry spokeswoman – adding to the 44 people already infected.

WHO now calls the risk to the public in Congo ‘very high’ and the regional risk ‘high’.

‘The outbreak is potentially a public health emergency because many of the criteria have been met,’ said former WHO director Dr. David Heymann.

So far, the 23 deaths believed to have been caused by Democratic Republic of Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak were in more isolated areas, giving authorities a better chance of ring-fencing the virus. But the first urban case threatens to change that.

WHO deployed the first experimental vaccines in the vast central African country on Wednesday.

They are now in discussions to decide whether to declare the outbreak a ‘public health emergency of international concern’.

Such a declaration by the Emergency Committee would trigger more international involvement, mobilising research and resources, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.

The UK Public Health Rapid Support Team has been deployed to the Congo to help the country contain the virus.

This deployment included two experts in tracking outbreaks and a data scientist who are expected to remain in the country for about six weeks.

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