Ebola Outbreak in Congo Has Just Been Declared an “Emergency of International Concern”

Science Alert  July 18, 2019
The last time the global health body declared an international emergency for Ebola was during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people. Ebola began spreading in Congo’s conflict-ridden North Kivu province last summer and has infected more than 2,500 and killed nearly 1,700, according to official Health Ministry figures. The decision was made by a committee of 10 scientists who had three times earlier declined to issue the declaration for the current outbreak. The WHO and other public health organizations have been tracing giant webs of people who have come into contact with suspected or confirmed cases. Most contacts remain in Congo, but a significant number have been tracked down in neighboring countries, and two others made it as far as Dubai and China before being tested for the virus…read more.