The ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo is now a public health emergency of international concern, according to the World Health Organization
"The risk of Ebola spread in DRC and the region remains very high, and the risk of spread outside the region remains low," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said during a press conference on Wednesday."Now is the time for the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of DRC.
The facts about Ebola 03:44The WHO International Health Regulations' Emergency Committee for Ebola Viral Disease in Congo convened at the organization's world headquarters in Geneva on Wednesday to discuss whether or not the outbreak constitutes international concern.Read More"The fight is ongoing for a full year now," Robert Steffen, chairman of the committee, said during a press conference on Wednesday.
CNN travels to the epicenter of new Ebola outbreak 04:09Following Wednesday's announcement, Ghebreyesus wrote in a post on Twitter that"a public health emergency of international concern is not for fundraising, it's for preventing the spread of disease." The World Health Organization"is not aware of any donor that has withheld funding because the emergency had not been declared. But if that was the excuse, it can no longer be used.
In its previous meeting on Friday, the emergency committee recommended all at-risk countries put in place the necessary approvals for using investigational medicines and vaccines as part of their preparedness.CNN's Amir Vera, Jessie Yeung and Susan Scutti contributed to this report.
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