The World Health Organization holds an emergency meeting on the Ebola outbreak.

The World Health Organization convened an emergency meeting today, August 6th, to prevent the spread of the Ebola virus.

People in Africa are receiving medical examinations. (Photo: WHO)

This meeting will decide whether to declare the current Ebola outbreak a "global emergency" to implement measures to contain its spread, possibly even restricting travel for people in affected countries.

The world is becoming concerned as the Ebola epidemic is spreading rapidly, killing nearly 900 people in West Africa since the beginning of this year.

African leaders attending the US-Africa Summit have called on the world to join forces with Africa to stop the spread of Ebola.

Senegalese President Macky Sall stated: "I want to tell the international community that Ebola is a dangerous virus. It is not just an African epidemic but a threat to the whole world. Transcontinental flights could turn this virus into a global crisis."

The Ebola outbreak began in March of this year in a remote mountainous region of Guinea, where the death rate has been rapidly increasing. Neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia subsequently experienced outbreaks, and the rate of spread is now even faster than Guinea's. Military forces have been deployed at border areas to contain the disease. They also implemented a series of stringent measures last week, such as closing schools and isolating patients, fearing the disease will spiral out of control.

Many countries around the world have advised their citizens against traveling to West Africa and have canceled flights to the region.

People fear Ebola because it is a highly contagious disease with symptoms including sudden fever, persistent fatigue, muscle aches, headache, and sore throat. These are followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, liver failure, and kidney failure. The mortality rate among infected cases can be as high as 90%. Currently, there is no cure or vaccine for this disease.

According to VTV.online