The last time the global health body declared an international emergency for Ebola was during the 2014-2016 outbreak in West Africa that killed more than 11,000 people. A new vaccine had some success in slowing the Ebola outbreak. There have been about 200 attacks on health workers since January alone, and seven have been killed. U.S. officials have described as “arbitrary” the WHO guidelines on declaring a public health emergency. Appearing before a House panel June 4, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Robert Redfield was asked about earlier decisions by the WHO to refrain from declaring the Congo outbreak an international health emergency.

Source: Washington Post July 17, 2019 17:49 UTC