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MARKRUBENS
On Wednesday (July 17), the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo a global health emergency.
As of Tuesday (July 16), there were 2,522 total cases reported in DRC and 1,698 deaths, according to the WHO. The outbreak started in August 2018 and three cases were reported in Uganda in June. “It shows no sign of coming under control,” Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine tells Reuters.
The WHO chose not to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) in April. Infections have increased by more than 1,000 since then, and the international agency has changed its stance. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement, saying that, “It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts,” according to a press release on the agency’s website.
A WHO committee ...
