Ebola No Longer International Health Emergency, WHO Reports

Monica Sanchez | March 29, 2016
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(Image via Twitter)

The Ebola epidemic is no longer an "extraordinary event" or “public health emergency of international concern,” reports the World Health Organization (WHO).

The announcement comes after WHO convened its last meeting of the Ebola Emergency Committee on Tuesday.

“In the Committee’s view, the Ebola situation in West Africa no longer constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and the temporary recommendations adopted in response should now be terminated,” WHO writes in a press release.

By “temporary recommendations,” the Committee is referring to restrictions placed on travel and trade with the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone during the outbreak.

WHO believes such measures should be lifted now that Ebola response capacity in West Africa is strong, flare-ups are few and far between, and likelihood of transmission via air travel is “extremely low.”

The WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan cautions that while the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is no longer considered a world health concern, “a high level of vigilance and response capacity must be maintained.”

(Image via Twitter)

“The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is no longer a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. However a high level of vigilance and response capacity must be maintained to ensure the ability of the countries to prevent Ebola infections and to rapidly detect and respond to flare-ups in the future,” said Chan in a media briefing Tuesday. 

In its press release, WHO highlights the need to continue on the use of Ebola vaccinations for close contacts of survivors and to ensure that communities have the proper resources to engage in rapid response if another outbreak occurs.

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