The World Health Organisation has urged the public not to panic over the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda, despite the disease being classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
Reacting to the outbreak, The World Health Organisation regional director for Africa, Mohamed Janabi said the declaration was meant to boost international coordination and speed up resource mobilisation, not to create fear.
“Fear by itself is an outbreak,” he said, adding that “Ebola is highly manageable” and urging the public to rely on accurate information.
“Ebola disease is a severe, often fatal illness affecting humans and other primates. “But it does not mean people should panic. It means the global system is working as it should be, detecting and responding very decisively,” he continued.
The WHO regional director for Africa, Janabi said WHO and health authorities in both countries were already tracing contacts, strengthening surveillance, engaging communities and deploying response strategies to contain the outbreak.
“WHO had classified it as emergency of international concern. “This the highest alert WHO can issue, which helps to bring international attention, moblise resources more quickly and ensure countries work together in a coordinated way.”
As of May 16, authorities in eastern DRC had recorded eight confirmed Ebola cases, 246 suspected cases and 80 suspected deaths. Additional cases were reported in Kinshasa, Goma, Beni and Kampala, while two infected individuals crossed into Uganda from the DRC.
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WHO said the outbreak could be larger than currently detected due to unexplained deaths, high positivity rates and limited understanding of transmission patterns. The agency also warned that insecurity, population movement and weak healthcare systems could worsen the spread.
Meanwhile, experts from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board warned that the risk of future pandemics was increasing.
“The world is not safer from pandemics”, the experts said, noting that disease outbreaks were becoming more frequent and damaging globally.
