The World Health Organisation on Wednesday stated that the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo poses a high risk at both national and regional levels, although the global risk remains low.
WHO Director-General's Statement
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus highlighted that the outbreak, centered in eastern DRC, has raised serious concerns due to the increasing number of infections and deaths. He warned that the virus may have been circulating undetected for months before it was identified.
"WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level," Tedros said during a press briefing in Geneva.
This development follows the WHO's declaration on Sunday that the outbreak is a public health emergency of international concern, triggering coordinated response measures across affected and neighboring countries.
Confirmed Cases and Cross-Border Spread
According to Tedros, 51 cases have so far been confirmed in the DRC, particularly in Ituri and North Kivu provinces. However, health officials believe the actual scale of the outbreak is significantly larger.
Tedros also confirmed cross-border spread, noting that Uganda has recorded two confirmed infections in the capital, Kampala, including one fatality. He added that an American national working in the DRC had tested positive and was transferred to Germany for treatment.
"There are several factors that warrant serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths," he said. "Beyond the confirmed cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths. We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected."
Pandemic Emergency Assessment
Despite the escalating figures, WHO experts said the situation does not yet meet the threshold for a global pandemic emergency. The agency's emergency committee, which met on Tuesday, concluded that while the outbreak remains serious, it does not currently qualify as a pandemic under the International Health Regulations.
"The current situation and criteria for a public health emergency of international concern have been met, and we agree that the current situation does not satisfy the criteria for a pandemic emergency," said Lucille Blumberg.
WHO technical officer Anais Legand said investigations are ongoing to determine the outbreak's origins and duration. "Given the scale, we are thinking that it has started probably a couple of months ago, but investigations are ongoing and our priority is really to cut the transmission chain by implementing contact tracing, isolating and caring for all suspect and confirmed cases," she said.
