WHO Raises Alarm as DRC Ebola Resurfaces

The recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has lead to the World Health Organisation (WHO) to announce on Wednesday, 17 July, that it is to be treated as a “global public health emergency”.

The virus claimed over 1650 lives last year when it spread across the DRC, but a swift vaccination campaign and international response limited its reach.

However, the virus has proven to be resilient, and new infections were confirmed in Goma, DRC last weekend.

As Goma is a high traffic area in the region, fears of new infections spreading rapidly have heightened.

The WHO claims that countries neighbouring the DRC – such as Rwanda, Angola, Tanzania and Zambia – are most at risk.

Risk of the outbreak spreading regionally is high, whilst international risk remains low.

Dr. Joanne Liu, president of Doctors Without Borders, said: “The reality check is that a year into the epidemic, it’s still not under control, and we are not where we should be. We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different results.”