WHO declares global health emergency over Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola disease outbreak in Congo and neighboring Uganda a public health emergency of international concern yesterday after more than 300 suspected cases and 88 deaths. In a post on X, the World Health Organization said the outbreak does not meet the criteria of a pandemic emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic, and advised against the closure of international borders. WHO said a laboratory-confirmed case has also been reported in Congo’s capital of Kinshasa, which is about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from the outbreak’s epicenter in the eastern province of Ituri, suggesting a possibl…