WHO Declares Ebola Public Health Emergency in Democratic Republic of the Congo

The World Health Organization declared that the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo constituted a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on Wednesday, July 17, as Ebola continued to rage in the DRC one year after the outbreak began.

WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, "It is time for the whole world to take note of the situation and redouble its efforts," and added, "We must work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this flare-up and build a better health system."

ABP News

The Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations (IHR) met in Geneva and noted the first confirmed case of Ebola virus disease in the city of Goma, where nearly 2 million people live near the border with Rwanda.

National figures cited by the WHO show the outbreak has infected 2,512 people and killed 1,676 since it was declared last August, and the outbreak has been classified by WHO as a Level 3 emergency, the highest level.

Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University, director of the WHO Collaborating Centre on International Health Law, said, "I am not at all optimistic about bringing the outbreak under control in the short or medium term."

As the outbreak expanded in eastern DRC, Congolese authorities said suspected cases had passed 900, with the ministry of communication posting 904 suspected cases and 119 suspected deaths on X on Sunday.

The Guardian reported that arson attacks hit Ebola treatment centres in the country’s east, and it quoted Colin Thomas-Jensen, director of impact at the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, saying the attacks may reflect the "built-in skepticism and anger" of people in eastern Congo.

Al Jazeera

In Mongbwalu, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) tents were burned after tensions erupted following the death of a patient showing symptoms of Ebola virus disease, and ALIMA said healthcare staff isolated the body in line with strict health protocols.

TeleSUR quoted Congolese Health Minister Roger Kamba defending the strict burial measures, warning, "The dead must not take others with them into the grave."

CNN reported that in Mongbwalu, angry residents attacked and burned a tent part of a health center where people were being treated, and Dr. Richard Lokudi said 18 people with suspected Ebola infections left the facility and are now unaccounted for.

The WHO Emergency Committee stressed the importance of keeping transport routes and borders open, while Professor Robert Steffen, Chair of the Emergency Committee, said, "It is also crucial that states do not use the PHEIC as a pretext to impose trade or travel restrictions."

The Guardian said the WHO assessed the outbreak as posing a “very high” risk for the Democratic Republic of Congo while the risk of the disease spreading globally remains low.

Health Policy Watch reported that Dr Anne Ancia, WHO’s representative in DRC, said the Rwampara General Hospital attack would "significantly jeopardize" containment efforts in Bunia, one of three hotspots in the outbreak.

In the same reporting, Gabriela Arenas of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said, "What happens in the coming days – in homes, in communities, and across borders – will matter enormously."

The Eastleigh Voice described the outbreak declared on May 15 as expanding beyond its initial epicentre in Ituri to North Kivu and South Kivu, while also quoting WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus saying the situation was "deeply worrisome" and that violence and insecurity were impeding the response.