Adedokun Waliyu 
The World Health Organization has said the risk posed by the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is high at both the national and regional levels, but remains low globally.
WHO experts revealed that investigations into the outbreak are still ongoing, but early assessments suggest the virus may have been spreading in eastern DR Congo for several months before it was officially detected.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said 51 confirmed Ebola cases have so far been recorded in the eastern provinces of Ituri and North Kivu.
He added that the actual scale of the outbreak is likely much larger, with nearly 600 suspected cases and 139 suspected deaths currently under investigation.
According to Tedros, Uganda has also confirmed two Ebola cases in Kampala, including one death, while an American citizen working in DR Congo 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.
Despite the growing number of cases, the WHO emergency committee concluded that the outbreak does not yet meet the threshold to be classified as a pandemic emergency.
The committee’s chair, Lucille Blumberg, explained that while the outbreak qualifies as a public health emergency of international concern, it is not currently considered a pandemic-level crisis.
WHO technical officer Anais Legand said efforts are focused on breaking the chain of transmission through contact tracing, isolation of suspected cases and medical care for infected patients.
The outbreak has prompted emergency responses in several countries after the WHO raised its alert level on Sunday.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio criticised the WHO for being “a little late” in identifying the outbreak.
Responding to the criticism, Tedros defended the organisation’s actions, explaining that the WHO works in support of national governments rather than replacing them during health emergencies.
The outbreak has renewed global concerns about Ebola, a highly infectious and often deadly viral disease that has caused multiple major outbreaks in Central and West Africa over the years.
