Ebola outbreak in the Congo

The Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo should be declared a global emergency, the International Development Secretary Rory Stewart has warned.

The MP said recognising the 10-month outbreak as a global health emergency would bring in more funding to be used to bring the deaths to an end. But the World Health Organization (WHO) has already rejected the proposal three times for reasons of economic difficulty, despite saying it's 'deeply concerned'.
Mr Stewart said agencies are struggling to control the deadly virus due to large funding gaps – and there is a danger it could spread to the rest of the world. He urged other countries members to step up and provide more cash to aid the Congo, particularly a life-saving vaccination programme. During a two-day visit, Mr Stewart said the impact of the virus on the DRC was 'heartbreaking'. A total of 1,625 people have died since August last year.