Ebola Outbreak: W.H.O. Declares a Global Health Emergency

A guy is carried from an ambulance as he arrives at a hospital on Monday after confirmation of an Ebola outbreak epidemic in the Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The World Health Organization declared the spread of the Ebola outbreak virus in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a global health emergency late Saturday, a day after Africa’s top public health authority first reported an outbreak in a province in northeastern Congo that has been linked to dozens of deaths.

By Saturday, cases had been confirmed in Kinshasa, Congo, and Kampala, Uganda, both of which are capital towns, according to the WHO. In Congo’s Ituri Province, where the outbreak was originally detected, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths were reported, but only eight cases were confirmed to be connected to the virus by scientific testing.

The outbreak could be far larger than what is currently being identified and reported, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared a “public health emergency of international concern.”

The FDA reported that eight of thirteen samples obtained in diverse places tested positive.

By Saturday, cases had been confirmed in Kinshasa, Congo, and Kampala, Uganda, both of which are capital towns, according to the WHO. In Congo’s Ituri Province, where the outbreak was originally detected, 246 suspected cases and 80 deaths were reported, but only eight cases were confirmed to be connected to the virus by scientific testing.

The outbreak could be far larger than what is currently being identified and reported, according to the World Health Organization, which has declared a “public health emergency of international concern.”

The FDA reported that eight of thirteen samples obtained in diverse places tested positive.