WHO warns Ebola epidemic will continue to spread for many months to come

Faced with the complicated developments of the Ebola epidemic in many African countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns of the risk of a serious epidemic spreading in the coming months.

Speaking to reporters on August 8 in Geneva (Switzerland), Mr. Keiji Fukuda, an official in charge of health security at WHO, said that the epidemic has the risk of getting worse before it improves. WHO is prepared for a high-level outbreak that lasts for months.

Earlier the same day, WHO declared a global emergency over the dangerous disease. The world health agency affirmed that the rapid spread of the Ebola virus is “unusual” and threatens the health of people around the world, causing nearly 1,000 deaths, mainly in four West African countries: Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Based on the actual situation, WHO assessed the risk of Ebola spreading worldwide as particularly serious, and emphasized that a coordinated international measure is really necessary to prevent and repel the spread of this virus worldwide.

Meanwhile, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that the countries affected by the Ebola virus epidemic are not capable of dealing with the current large-scale and complex outbreak, and urged the international community to urgently support the areas affected by the epidemic. WHO said that the uncontrollable spread of the epidemic is partly due to weak health infrastructure, shortages of human resources, finance and supplies in some countries.

In addition, experience in dealing with the disease and misconceptions about how it spreads also pose major challenges for some countries currently affected by the Ebola virus.

Currently, scientists are trying to find a way to prepare a vaccine to treat and prevent this dangerous disease.

The Ebola virus, which emerged in Guinea in March, has spread to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia, causing panic around the world. Sierra Leone has implemented additional screening measures, including temperature checks for passengers. Saudi Arabia has also suspended visa applications from West African countries.

Major airlines such as British Airways and Emirates have suspended flights to affected countries. Greece has advised its citizens against travelling to affected countries such as Nigeria, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and announced that it will introduce enhanced border checks. Meanwhile, a new suspected case of Ebola has been detected in Benin.

According to Vietnam+