WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak a Global Health Emergency
- Reference: 0183265903
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/05/18/0336208/who-declares-ebola-outbreak-a-global-health-emergency
- Source link:
> The World Health Organization [1]declared on Saturday that the spread of the Ebola virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda was a global health emergency. The announcement was made a day after Africa's leading public health authority reported that an outbreak in a province in the northeast of the country was [2]linked to dozens of suspected deaths . By Saturday, cases had also been confirmed in Kampala, the capital of Uganda, the W.H.O. said.
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> In Congo's Ituri province, where the outbreak was first identified, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths attributed to the virus had been reported, although only eight cases had been definitively linked to the virus through laboratory testing. There is no approved vaccine and no therapeutics for the Bundibugyo species of Ebola behind the outbreak, according to the W.H.O. The scale of the outbreak could be far larger than has been detected and reported, the W.H.O. said in declaring a "public health emergency of international concern." It added that there were "significant uncertainties" about the precise number of people infected and the "geographic spread."
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> The W.H.O.'s declaration signals a public health risk requiring a coordinated international response, and is intended to prompt member countries to prepare for the virus to spread and to share vaccines, treatments and other resources needed to contain the outbreak. [...] The risk of the outbreak spreading is exacerbated by a humanitarian crisis, high population mobility and a large network of informal health care facilities in the area, the agency said. Containing an Ebola outbreak depends on the speed and scale of the public health response. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person, putting family members and caregivers at particular risk. Tracing people who may have come into contact with sufferers, isolating and treating victims promptly and safely, and burying the dead properly are all viewed as critical steps.
[1] https://www.who.int/news/item/17-05-2026-epidemic-of-ebola-disease-in-the-democratic-republic-of-the-congo-and-uganda-determined-a-public-health-emergency-of-international-concern
[2] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/17/world/africa/ebola-congo-uganda-who-public-health-emergency.html
Re: (Score:1)
> not a real emergency until it threatens...white countries
"Honkyvirus"?
I thought Hantavirus was the scary one (Score:1)
There should be a Rule of the Universe that only one crisis can happen at a time.
Re: (Score:2)
Welcome to the Age of Trump.
Re: I thought Hantavirus was the scary one (Score:3)
The media couldn't get Hantavirus to stick as the new Covid.
Should not happen (Score:2)
in 2026. Proper medical equipment, facilities, and sanitary practices when working with someone who is sick or recently died all would stop the spread of Ebola. The world has the resources to make these things available to everyone in the world, even those with the lowest incomes, but the world chooses not to.
Even if you don't care about human suffering and preventable deaths, this is exactly how the next global pandemic could be created and should be something the world takes seriously. (Ebola as-is is n
Sad Outcomes (Score:1)
US funding and support were large in the previous Ebola outbreaks and already speculation that the cut backs may be a large factor in why there were hundreds infected before even the declaration of a health emergency. Twice as many people have already been infected than the last outbreak in the country and it's spread two capital cities.
Having a hard time holding out too much hope for the world to act to help before the situation has devolves into sad outcomes for the some of the world's most vulnerable.
So not a big deal (Score:2)
*yawn* The GHE moniker seems a little over the top. Regional or isolated, sure, but global? If ebola had a baby with the flu, then that would be cause for alarm.
Brilliant 4d chess! (Score:1)
Gee, I'm sure glad that Trump made the world safer by cutting WHO support. /s
Re: (Score:1)
If you read up on Ebola, you will see that it is extremely dangerous but that the symptoms are so extreme that the window of infection is pretty short.
If you've got it, then quarantine and panic are reasonable reactions.
Re:WHO (Score:4, Funny)
Already ordered my ivermectin from Tractor Supply Co!