WHO declares Ebola epidemic an international health emergency.

- By Kate Kelland
London. Friday, August 8th, 2014 1:09pm EDT
(Reuters) - West Africa's Ebola epidemic is an "extraordinary event" and now constitutes an
international health risk, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.
The Geneva-based U.N. health agency said the possible consequences of a further
international spread of the outbreak, which has killed almost 1,000 people in four West
African countries, were "particularly serious" in view of the virulence of the virus.
"A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse
the international spread of Ebola," the WHO said in a statement after a two-day meeting of its
emergency committee on Ebola.
The declaration of an international emergency will have the effect of raising the level of
vigilance on the virus.
"The outbreak is moving faster than we can control it," the WHO's director-general Margaret
Chan told reporters on a telephone briefing from the WHO's Geneva headquarters.
"The declaration ... will galvanize the attention of leaders of all countries at the top level. It
cannot be done by the ministries of health alone."
The agency said that, while all states with Ebola transmission - so far Guinea, Liberia,
Nigeria and Sierra Leone - should declare a national emergency, there should be no general
ban on international travel or trade.
"THIS CAN BE STOPPED"
Ebola has no proven cures and there is no vaccine to prevent infection, so treatment focuses
on alleviating symptoms such as fever, vomiting and diarrhea - all of which can contribute to
severe dehydration.
Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's head of health security, stressed that, with the right measures to
deal with infected people, the spread of Ebola - which is transmitted through direct contact
with bodily fluids - could be stopped.
"This is not a mysterious disease. This is an infectious disease that can be contained," he told
reporters. "It is not a virus that is spread through the air."

Fukuda said it was important that anyone known to have Ebola should be immediately
isolated and treated and kept in isolation for 30 days. "Based on scientific studies, people who
have infection can shed virus for up to 30 days," he said.
The current outbreak, in which at least 1,711 people have so far been infected, of whom 932
have died, is the most severe in the almost 40 years since Ebola was identified in humans.
The WHO said this was partly because of the weakness of the health systems in the countries
currently affected, which lacked human, financial and material resources.
It also said inexperience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks and misperceptions of the disease,
including how it is transmitted, "continue to be a major challenge in some communities".
"If we do not in global solidarity come together to help these countries, they will be set back
for many years," Chan said. She noted the three hardest-hit nations had only begun to emerge
and rebuild after "years of conflict and difficulties".
Although most cases of Ebola are in the remote area where Guinea borders Sierra Leone and
Liberia, alarm over the spread of the disease increased last month when a U.S. citizen died in
Nigeria after traveling there by plane from Liberia.
After an experimental drug was administered to two U.S. charity workers who were infected
in Liberia, Ebola specialists urged the WHO to offer such drugs to Africans. The U.N. agency
has asked medical ethics experts to explore this option next week.
David Heymann, a former WHO official and now director of the Chatham House Centre on
Global Health Security, who this week urged the WHO to show greater leadership and to
consider, allowing the use of experimental drugs for Africans affected by Ebola, said
governments should step up their response.
The major message, he said, was that the three known measures that stop Ebola outbreaks
hospital infection control, community understanding of risks of infection, and contact tracing
- "appear not to have been robustly enough applied".
"Governments appear to not have been engaged as necessary," he said in an emailed response
to the WHO's statement.
(Reporting by Kate Kelland, additional reporting and editing by Kevin Liffey)

WHO declares Ebola epidemic an international health emergency.

i) Main Idea 1: International Health Risk
- West Africa's Ebola epidemic is an "extraordinary event".
- World Health Organization (WHO) declares constitutes an international health risk.
- Possible consequences of a further international spread of the outbreak, which has killed
almost 1,000 people in four West African countries.
- It were "particularly serious" in view of the virulence of the virus.

ii) Main Idea 2: Cause of West Africa Ebola Epidemic

- WHO said the epidemic because of the weakness of the health systems in the countries
currently affected, which lacked human, financial and material resources.
- It also said inexperience in dealing with Ebola outbreaks.
- Misperceptions of the disease, including how it is transmitted, "continue to be a major
challenge in some communities".

iii) Main Idea 3: Isolation as Right Measure

- Keiji Fukuda, the WHO's head of health security, stressed that, with the right measures to
deal with infected people.
- The spread of Ebola - which is transmitted through direct contact with bodily fluids - could
be stopped.
- This is an infectious disease that can be contained.
- It is not a virus that is spread through the air.
- It was important that anyone known to have Ebola should be immediately isolated and
treated and kept in isolation for 30 days as infection can shed virus for up to 30 days.

iv) Main Idea 4: Standard Measures to stop Ebola Outbreak

- Hospital infection control.

- Community understanding of risks of infection.

- Contact tracing.
-All of these know measures appear not to have been robustly enough applied.

v) Main Idea 5: Experimental Drug

- Ebola specialists urged the WHO to offer experimental drugs to Africans.
- David Heymann, a former WHO official week urged the WHO to show greater leadership
and to consider, allowing the use of experimental drugs for Africans affected by Ebola.
- The U.N. agency has asked medical ethics experts to explore this option.

vi) Main Idea 6: Economic Effect of Ebola to West Africa

- Affected countries will be set back for many years if without international assistance.
- The three hardest-hit nations had only begun to emerge and rebuild after "years of conflict
and difficulties".

WHO declares Ebola epidemic an international health emergency. Newspaper Article

Reflection
The newspaper article examine the recently headline about outbreak Ebola infection to
provide insight for epidemic of this fatal disease . The study concentrates on causes of disease,

current outbreak, uncontrollable infectiousness and possible control measures.

One connection I made with this article is Ebola infection reportedly supposed public health
emergency of international concern. As it stated, WHO proclaim Ebola disease as
international health risk. I agree with this declaration mostly for its legal designation intent
triggering global vigilance and surveillance, not the magnitude of Ebola outbreak in
worldwide. Even the epidemic is unusual and most severe in West Africas history, I think
globally perceived false alarm regarding its epidemic as the foremost impact of
this prevalent worldwide is yet to come.

I believe West Africa Ebola crisis is distinctive as the fatalities, but weakness of local health
system, less development and inexperience are main vulnerable area. The article attributes
poverty of health resources, naive and misperception as underlying cause. I agree this
argument describe the crisis perfectly.

Right measure to control Ebola infection cited in this article is stop direct contact with bodily
fluids. However, I questioning whether the transmission chain will be break by isolate
infected people as Ebola virus can be transmitted via indirect contact with contaminated
environment. It is proving recently virus can be travel between primates without contact.
Also, I suppose isolation cannot stop epidemic without appropriate protection equipment and
well trained medical personnel.

The article also suggest standard countermeasure such as contact tracing, hospital infection
control and improve community understanding as response combat Ebola crisis. I consent
with these suggestions as it supported several evidences in past.

In the article, medical experts urge WHO allowing the use experimental drug to contest Ebola
outbreak. I believe this fact cause ethical dilemma of do or not permit giving untested drug.
In my opinion, notable measures were now needed to contain the outbreak affecting countries
with extreme poverty and dysfunctional health systems. It is ethical to use the measures given
the size of potential outbreak.

Overall, collaboration commitment from all parties is needed to assist West Africa combat the
international health risk.