WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the “scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(DRC) and Uganda, saying an emergency committee would meet later in the day to issue temporary recommendations.
Addressing the 79th World Health Assembly, Tedros said he had declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern for the Ebola outbreak in the two countries on Sunday, marking the first time a WHO chief had done so without first convening an emergency committee.
“I did not do this lightly,” Tedros said, noting the decision was made under Article 12 of the International Health Regulations after consultations with the health ministers of both countries. “I am deeply concerned about the scale and the speed of the epidemic.”
Tedros said the DRC’s province of Ituri had reported 30 confirmed cases, while Uganda confirmed two cases in the capital Kampala, including one death involving travellers from the DRC.
US authorities also reported one confirmed case involving an American citizen who was transferred to Germany, he said, noting WHO is working closely with the DRC, Uganda and the United States. — Xinhua