The World Health Organisation said in a statement that the Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo was worrying but did not yet merit being labelled a global health emergency.
On August 1, WHO was notified by the Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo of Ebola in North Kivu province, with cases also subsequently found in Ituri province. From May 4 to October 15, 216 cases have been reported, 181 of which have been laboratory confirmed. A total of 139 people have died.
At a meeting of the WHO Emergency Committee in Geneva on October 17, the committee decided that a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) should not be declared at this time. However, the it emphasised that response activities needed to be intensified and that ongoing vigilance was critical.
