WHO Raises Fresh Concern Over Ebola Spread

Related stories

OPEC Production Increase Misguides Markets

Global oil markets are again showing the impact of...

ASUU Declares Nationwide Strike Over Delayed Payment

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has ordered...

Middle East Crisis: Netanyahu Backs Trump for Nobel Peace Prize

By Abiola Olawale Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced...

The Ebola outbreak in Congo may have taken a new turn as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that it  poses a greater danger to the Central African country and the region than previously assumed.

The recent confirmation of a case in Mbandaka, a large city that straddles national and international transport routes, had increased the risk of the virus spreading further, the UN health agency said on Friday in Geneva.

“WHO has, therefore, revised the assessment of public health risk to very high at the national level and high at the regional level,’’ it said in a statement.

The global significance of this outbreak that has killed 14 people, so far is being discussed at a WHO emergency meeting and will be announced later on Friday.
The WHO has previously said that the chance of a global outbreak is low.

In Congo, the Health Ministry announced that the number of confirmed Ebola cases in the country have risen from three to 14.

“In total since the start of the epidemic, there have been 45 cases of haemorrhagic fever, including 10 suspected cases, 21 probable cases and 14 confirmed cases,’’ the ministry said late Thursday.

While one person was confirmed dead from the virus, 25 people are suspected to have died from it, the ministry said.

One of the most contagious viral diseases known, Ebola’s symptoms are extraordinarily painful and include severe vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, impaired kidney and liver function as well as internal and external bleeding.

The UN and aid organisations are racing to prevent the recurrence of an outbreak like in 2014, when 11,000 people died in the West African epidemic that was centred in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The executive of the EU on Friday announced the release of 1.6 million euros (1.9 million dollars) to help tackle the outbreak, with most of the money going to the WHO to provide logistics support.

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Beware of APC In ADC's New Dress:”At 89 You Have Jumped To Another Party—An Open Letter to Papa John Odigie-Oyegun: A Time for Reflection”, By Senator Ojudu BabafemiOPEC Production Increase Misguides MarketsASUU Declares Nationwide Strike Over Delayed Payment[VIDEO] High-Stake Deals As Forces Bolster Abure-led Faction to Move Against Peter Obi Ahead 2027Middle East Crisis: Netanyahu Backs Trump for Nobel Peace PrizeReactions As FG Pegs Minimum Admission Age at 16 for Tertiary InstitutionsTrump announces new tariffs of up to 40% on a growing number of countries  OPEC+ to Complete Unwinding of Oil Output Cuts With Big September HikeShettima Says Nigeria Not Interested in Pursuing Nuclear Weapons[VIDEO] First Class journalist-Scholar, Reuben Abati Blasts Wike Over Church Thanksgiving on Completed ProjectsIranian President Accuses Israel of Failed Assassination Plot2027: Yobe Swings as Adamu Waziri, PDP's BoT member Dumps Party for ADCSaudi Arabia Raises Oil PricesGrass Cutting! Ex-SGF Babachir Lawal Dumps APC, Heads to ADC Ahead 2027Drama in Kano, as 58 Inmates Seat for 2025 NECO SSCE
X whatsapp