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Can Ebola in Congo and Coronavirus from China be a big international threat to health ? It is a question which is being asked in light of Coronavirus outbreak in China and other parts of world.
Ebola virus has caused 3,308 confirmed cases and more than 2,250 deaths,till this month.
Corona virus has caused 45171 confirmed cases globally and 1114 deaths in China.It is sreading fast and thousands of new cases are being reported daily.
The World Health Organization (WHO) convened its Emergency Committee which reaffirmed that the risk remains high at the national and regional levels, but low globally.
“It was the unanimous view of the Committee that this event still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)”, the UN agency said in a statement.
“The Committee was concerned that withdrawing the PHEIC now might have adverse consequences for the response efforts through diminishing focus.”
The outbreak o Ebola virus in the eastern DRC began in August 2018.
The regional infighting and insecurity in Africa has affected response efforts to fight Ebola virus.
The DR Congo battles serious ongoing outbreaks of measles, cholera and other diseases.
“The country continues to need support to combat infectious diseases as well as to strengthen its health system. Further, there remains an urgent need to maintain international solidarity for the response”, the statement said.
While noting an “encouraging trend” in Ebola case incidence and geographic spread, the health experts said sustaining progress will depend on the security situation, among other factors.
The Committee advised the Congolese authorities to sustain commitment and coordination on Ebola response and to strengthen community awareness and engagement.
Major recommendations include continued cross-border screening and monitoring at checkpoints around hotspots in the east, as well as scaling up preparedness in non-affected provinces.
“At-risk countries should maintain their work with partners to improve their preparedness for detecting and managing imported or locally acquired cases, including the transparent sharing of detailed information on suspect cases”, said the experts, citing WHO norms and guidance.
Emergency Manager team thinks that a coordinated global effort to fight epidemic threat caused by Corona virus and Ebola virus is the only solution.
Ebola virus disease is a rare but severe, often fatal, illness in humans.
An experimental vaccine, which proved highly protective during a 2015 trial in Guinea, is being used in the DR Congo outbreak.
Corona virus is still untreatable.No vaccine is in the sight in near future.WHO has said that it may take more than 18 months to develop its vaccine.
It is spreading very fast.International travel,migration and trade has made its spread more easier and faster.Ban of international flight connecting infected areas has some what limited the spread.
Experts of Emergency Manager magazines think that any laxity in any of infected countries can play havoc.Ebola and Corona viruses ,both spreading togather will be very difficult to control. Presently, Ebola is largely limited to DR Congo and Corona virus is being actively contained in China and other infected countries.
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