The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) . This designation, announced following an emergency committee meeting, represents the highest level of alarm the UN health agency can sound .
This decision comes as the outbreak—the country’s tenth since the virus was discovered in 1976—continues to spread across North Kivu and Ituri provinces. As of the latest data from late July 2019, the Ministry of Health reported 2,687 cases (2,593 confirmed and 94 probable) with 1,803 deaths .
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A Crisis in a Conflict Zone
This is not just a medical emergency; it is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in an active war zone. Unlike previous Ebola outbreaks, this strain is spreading in an area plagued by armed conflict and population displacement. The DRC is currently facing a massive humanitarian crisis, with over 4 million people displaced and 13 million facing food insecurity .
Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, emphasized the difficulty of the response, stating that responders are working under the "most difficult circumstances" to contain the virus .
The Vaccine is Working
Regarding your query about a strain with "no vaccine": The current data suggests the available vaccine is highly effective against the circulating Zaire strain.
According to WHO data from early 2019, independent analysis indicates the rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine (manufactured by Merck) is protecting approximately 97.7% of individuals who receive it . More than 175,000 people in the DRC and 10,000 in neighboring countries had been vaccinated as of July 2019 .
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However, logistical hurdles remain. Humanitarian groups like Doctors Without Borders (MSF) have noted that the vaccine is not being distributed widely enough to cover all "at-risk" populations due to access issues and contact tracing difficulties .
Why Was the "Emergency" Declared?
The Emergency Committee was triggered by several specific developments:
1. International Spread: The confirmation of the first case in Goma—a city of nearly 2 million people on the Rwandan border which serves as a regional transportation hub—raised the risk of regional spread significantly .
2. The "Ring of Fire": The virus has been spreading in a "ring of fire" of militant activity, making it impossible for health workers to reach certain villages consistently.
3. High Mobility: The affected population is highly mobile, crossing porous borders for trade and family visits, increasing the risk to Uganda, Rwanda, and South Sudan .
WHO’s Message to the World
Despite the severity of the outbreak,WHO has issued a strong warning against countries imposing trade or travel restrictions on the DRC. The Emergency Committee chair, Professor Robert Steffen, noted that such restrictions would have "punitive economic consequences" on the livelihoods of the very people trying to survive the outbreak .
The United States CDC supports this declaration, though they reiterate that the risk to the general US public remains low based on current travel volumes from the affected region .
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