BY ALLISON KOZICHAROW; EDITED BY BERNICE BORN
On July 17, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared that the year-old Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is now a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern.” WHO has already identified Ebola as one of the 10 threats to global health in 2019.*
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Dr. Tedros said, “It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system. …This is about mothers, fathers and children — too often entire families are stricken. At the heart of this are communities and individual tragedies.”
The widening geographical scope of the disease is causing an increase in security incidents due to civil unrest and violence against health workers in the DRC. The spread of EVD into the Congolese city of Goma near the border of Rwanda is further reason for concern; two deaths from the virus occurred in Uganda in June, but none have been reported so far since then.
After the Ebola outbreak in West Africa five years ago, WiRED International produced the first computer-based, expertly written, peer-reviewed Ebola health learning series, which developed into a prevention education program throughout Africa. In addition, WiRED offers four Ebola modules which have been translated into French.
WiRED will continue to monitor and report on the ongoing situation in the DRC.
What is Ebola?
Source: WHO
*In order, the WHO's top 10 global health threats: