July 22, 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) on July 17 2019, declared the current Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).
The declaration followed a meeting of the
International Health Regulations Emergency Committee for EVD in the DRC. The
Committee cited recent developments in the outbreak in making its
recommendation, including the first confirmed case in Goma, a city of almost
two million people on the border with Rwanda, and the gateway to the rest of
DRC and the world.
Currently, the risk remains very high at
national and regional levels but still low at global level.
Dr. Joy St. John, Executive Director of
the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) urged Member States to enhance
disease surveillance at ports of entry and at health facilities at this
stage. She stated “It is important that the Region takes on a proactive
approach. Use this as an opportunity to review and strengthen your
systems.”
In keeping with the International Health
Regulations and the statement on the meeting of the International Health
Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee for Ebola virus disease in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo on 17 July 2019, no country should close its
borders or place any restrictions on travel and trade. Such measures are
usually implemented out of fear and have no basis in science. They push the
movement of people and goods to informal border crossings that are not
monitored, thus increasing the chances of the spread of disease. Most
critically, these restrictions can also compromise local economies and
negatively affect response operations from a security and logistics perspective.
National authorities should work with
airlines, passenger ships and other transport and tourism industries to ensure
that they do not exceed WHO’s advice on international traffic.
The Committee does not consider entry
screening at airports or other ports of entry outside the Region to be
necessary.
CARPHA will continue to monitor these developments and provide Member States with guidance to support national response efforts, while strengthening Regional Health Security in collaboration with regional partners.
Release: CARPHA