Genetics Research

14 mars 2023

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a "public health emergency of international concern". The declaration came after a meeting of the WHO's International Health Regulations Emergency Committee. The outbreak, which has been ongoing since August 2018, has so far resulted in 2,512 confirmed cases and 1,676 deaths. This is the second largest Ebola outbreak on record, surpassed only by the 2014-2016 West African outbreak that claimed over 11,000 lives.

WHO's declaration is aimed at increasing global attention and mobilizing additional resources to combat the outbreak. In particular, the WHO is calling for increased efforts to support communities affected by the outbreak, including ensuring access to healthcare services and promoting community engagement. The organization is also calling for improved coordination between various actors involved in the response to the outbreak, including governments, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations.

The outbreak has been particularly challenging to respond to due to a number of factors, including ongoing conflict in the affected region, high levels of mobility among affected communities, and mistrust of healthcare workers and institutions. In response, the WHO has implemented a range of measures to try and contain the outbreak, including deploying healthcare workers to affected areas, providing vaccines to at-risk individuals, and conducting community engagement and awareness campaigns.

However, despite these efforts, the outbreak continues to spread, with new cases reported in previously unaffected areas.

The WHO's declaration has been met with mixed reactions from public health experts and policymakers. Some have praised the organization's efforts to increase global attention and mobilize resources to combat the outbreak, while others have criticized the declaration as coming too late and for not doing enough to address the root causes of the outbreak.

Nevertheless, the declaration is seen as an important step in the ongoing efforts to contain and ultimately end the Ebola outbreak in the DRC.