The World Health Organization has said the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo presents a serious threat within the affected region, although the global risk remains limited for now.
WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus disclosed this on Wednesday, May 20, during an update on the outbreak, which has affected eastern Congo and spread into Uganda.
“WHO assesses the risk of the epidemic as high at the national and regional levels, and low at the global level,” said Tedros.
According to the WHO chief, 51 Ebola infections have already been confirmed in Congo’s eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
However, he warned that the true scale of the outbreak could be far greater than official figures currently indicate.
Tedros also confirmed that Uganda has recorded two cases in Kampala, one of which resulted in death. He added that an American citizen working in Congo had tested positive and was later moved to Germany for treatment.
“There are several factors that warrant serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths,” said Tedros.
“Beyond the confirmed cases, there are almost 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths.
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“We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.”
The WHO had earlier designated the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, a classification that activates international emergency response measures.
Despite that declaration, the organisation’s emergency committee clarified that the outbreak has not yet reached the threshold required to classify it as a pandemic-level emergency.
“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,” the committee’s chair, Lucille Blumberg, told journalists from South Africa.
WHO technical officer on viral haemorrhagic fevers, Anais Legand, said investigations suggest the outbreak may have gone undetected for several months before authorities identified it.
“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.