Ebola outbreak in Central Africa declared a ‘Public Health Emergency of International Concern’


The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, citing rising cases, cross-border spread and significant uncertainties about the scale of the epidemic.

The decision, announced by WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus on Sunday, follows reports of both confirmed and suspected infections linked to the Bundibugyo strain of the virus.

While the situation is serious, it does not currently meet the criteria for a pandemic emergency under the WHO’s International Health Regulations.

Read more…
Source: UN News


Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox


Related:

  • Burkina Faso: At least 15 killed in attack on Catholic church in Tombouctou region

    February 25, 2024

    At least 15 Catholic worshippers have been killed in a Burkina Faso village when gunmen attacked a community as they gathered for mass at a church in the country’s conflict-hit northern region, church officials said. Sunday’s violence in the village of Essakane was a “terrorist attack” that left 12 attendees dead at the scene, while three ...

  • Nigeria: Federal government inaugurates committee on mines clearance in North East

    February 24, 2024

    The federal government has inaugurated a committee to actualize the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in North East Nigeria. The committee is chaired by the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, according to a statement from the minister’s office on Saturday, February 24. Other members of the committee include representatives from the Ministry of ...

  • South Sudan: UK announces $2.5m for mine clearance

    February 24, 2024

    The United Kingdom said it will, through its flagship Global Mine Action Programme, contribute $2.65 million to help Mines Advisory Group (MAG) clear land for resettlement and agriculture in South Sudan. Mines and Bomb/Cluster munition remnants present a key challenge to South Sudan’s reconstruction efforts, with an estimated 1,400 people reportedly killed and over 3,800 injured ...

  • DRC Congo: Bombs hit Goma airport as DRC-M23 battle rages

    February 18, 2024

    The Democratic Republic of Congo has accused neighboring Rwanda of orchestrating a bomb attack at Goma International Airport in Goma city, North Kivu province. The incident occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning around 02:00 AM when two 81 MM mortar bombs, mounted on commercial drones, struck the airport, causing damage to a Sukhoi-25 fighter ...

  • US to build 5 new military bases for Somali army

    February 16, 2024

    The U.S. will build up to five military bases for the Somali army in a project that seeks to bolster the Somalian national army’s capabilities amid ongoing threats from an extremist group. Somalia’s defense minister and the U.S. charge d’affaires signed a memorandum of understanding Thursday in Mogadishu, the Somali capital. The new bases will be ...

  • Ghana: Let’s unite to fight dangers caused by anti-personnel mines

    February 13, 2024

    Mr Ambrose Dery, Minister for the Interior, has urged the Economic Community of West African States and nations within the Sahel to unite and mitigate humanitarian crises caused by improvised anti-personnel mines. He also asked them to engage in constructive dialogue, exchange best practices and explore innovative solutions to the menace. Mr Dery made the comments ...

  • Cameroon: One killed in bombing in the Northwest Region

    February 12, 2024

    A homemade bomb killed one person and wounded dozens of others in western Cameroon Sunday, an attack the authorities said may have been carried out by anglophone separatists. The blast came two hours after a parade of school children celebrating Youth Day had passed, state television CRTV reported. Videos on social media showed children in blue ...

  • Angola: Five killed by anti-tank mine explosion in central Bié

    February 11, 2024

    At least five people died Saturday in Cunhinga municipality, central Bié Province, after setting off an anti-tank mine, ANGOP has learnt. The victims, three men and two women, aged between 12 and 56, were travelling on a three-wheeled motorbike and died at the scene. Speaking to ANGOP, the provincial representative of the National Mine Action Agency ...

  • Somalia: Al-Shabab claims it attacked Emirati and Bahraini troops in Mogadishu

    February 11, 2024

    The al-Qaida-linked militant group al-Shabab claimed an attack that killed three Emirati troops and a Bahraini military officer on a training mission at a military base in the Somali capital, authorities said on Sunday. The attack Saturday targeted the troops at the General Gordon Military Base in Mogadishu. Details about the attack and whether it killed ...

  • From the Middle East to West Africa: responding to the humanitarian impacts of improvised anti-personnel mines

    February 8, 2024

    Though remarkable progress has been made towards the eradication of anti-personnel landmines (APM) since the adoption of the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention (APMBC) in 1997, casualties from APM are, alarmingly, on the rise, including due to the increased use of improvised APM, mostly associated with non-state actors. Whereas efforts to counter the threat of improvised explosive ...

  • Somalia: Ten dead, 20 others injured in multiple blasts in Mogadishu

    February 6, 2024

    At least 10 people were killed on Tuesday in a crowded market in Mogadishu, the Somali capital, after multiple blasts. The incident happened within the Bakara market in the city, sources told Al Jazeera. A local businessman said he helped carry dead and wounded people from some of the shops. “We heard four huge explosions erupt ...

  • DIA report confirms the Huthis’ use of Iranian missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles to conduct attacks across the Middle East

    February 6, 2024

    JOINT BASE ANACOSTIA-BOLLING — Analysis confirms that Houthi forces have employed various Iranian-origin missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles against military and civilian targets throughout the region, according to an unclassified report released today by the Defense Intelligence Agency. “Iran: Enabling Houthi Attacks Across the Middle East” provides a comparative analysis of publicly available images of Iranian ...

  • Yemen: Houthis claim fresh attacks on British and US ships in Red Sea

    February 6, 2024

    The Houthis say they have successfully targeted a British and a US ship in the Red Sea, casting doubt on the effectiveness of three waves of US-UK strikes on missile sites belonging to the group in Yemen. A Houthi spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said in a statement on Tuesday: “We carried out two military operations, the first ...

  • U.S. forces conducted self-defense strikes against Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles

    February 5, 2024

    TAMPA, Fla. – On Feb. 5, at approximately 3:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), U.S. Central Command forces conducted a strike in self-defense against two Houthi explosive uncrewed surface vehicles (USV). U.S. forces identified the explosive USVs in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and determined they presented an imminent threat to U.S. Navy ships and merchant vessels in the ...

  • Nigeria: Explosion destroys electric transmission line in Bauchi

    February 3, 2024

    An explosion caused by an Improvised Explosive Device has destroyed a high-tension electric transmission pole situated in the Unguwan Kanawa area near Federal Polytechnic, Bauchi. The explosion was said to have been caused by yet-to-be-identified persons who used explosives to vandalise government property. Although there was no human casualty, however, a high-tension pole of the electricity ...