The World Health Organization has declared a rare Ebola outbreak a public health emergency of international concern, with its chief warning that the number of suspected cases, currently at 600, and 139 suspected deaths, is expected to climb significantly. This grim forecast comes as the virus circulated undetected for some time before the outbreak was identified.
Emergency Committee Decision
A WHO Emergency Committee, convening in Geneva on Tuesday, confirmed the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus met the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern, though not a pandemic emergency, according to Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Mr Ghebreyesus had already declared the emergency over the weekend, an unprecedented move as it marked the first time a WHO chief had taken such a step without prior consultation with experts. He stated this decision was made due to the urgent nature of the situation.
Doctor Transferred to Prague
Meanwhile, a doctor is being transferred from Uganda to a hospital in Prague after coming into contact with a patient infected with Ebola, Czech health officials said. The doctor is showing no symptoms of the deadly virus and will be hospitalised as a precaution following a request from the United States, Health Minister Adam Vojtech said on X on Wednesday.
The Faculty Hospital Bulovka in Prague, which specialises in infectious diseases, said late on Tuesday the patient was being transported in an isolation unit and was expected to arrive on Wednesday evening. "The case does not pose a risk to the public in the Czech Republic, and procedures for similar situations are clearly set," the hospital said.
Undetected Spread
World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the outbreak of the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus a public health emergency of international concern on Saturday, the first time a WHO chief has done so before convening an emergency committee. The outbreak has alarmed experts because it was able to spread for weeks undetected across a densely populated area ravaged by widespread armed violence.
An outbreak in eastern Congo from 2018 to 2020 was the second deadliest on record and killed nearly 2,300 people.
