The World Health Organization on Friday warned of the outbreak of Ebola, declaring the Ebola outbreak in west Africa to be an international public health emergency that requires an extraordinary response to stop its spread.
"The Ebola outbreak in west Africa constitutes an ‘extraordinary event’ and a public health risk to other States," said a statement by the organization after a meeting of the Emergency Committee.
"The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus, the intensive community and health facility transmission patterns, and the weak health systems in the currently affected and most at-risk countries," read the statement.
The WHO called for a coordinated international response to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola.
The outbreak is the largest and most severe in four decades, driven by the poor health infrastructure in affected nations cross-border traffic, which has led to infections in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
As of Monday, 1,711 cases had been reported to the WHO with 1,070 confirmed as Ebola, and 932 deaths. Some 140 or 150 health-care workers have been infected, with about 80 deaths, said Margaret Chan, the director general of the WHO.
Source: MENA