In making the announcement, Professor Robert Steffen, chair of WHO’s Emergency Committee for this outbreak said there is no added benefit in declaring this emergency at this time. However, he emphasized that this does not downplay the situation and said everything must still be done to stop this outbreak.
The committee’s decision was unanimous, Steffen said.
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In 2014, there was no treatment or vaccine to prevent the spread of Ebola. Due to research advancements since then, experimental treatments and vaccines have been used in Congo. To date, 358 patients have recovered from the illness, and more than 97,000 vaccines have been administered, which some believe has helped limit the spread of the outbreak.
WHO defines a public health emergency of international concern as “an extraordinary event” that constitutes a “public health risk to other States through the international spread of disease” and “to potentially require a coordinated international response.”
Source: Congo Ebola outbreak not an international emergency, WHO says
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