The World Health Organisation has declared the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
WHO defines a global emergency as an “extraordinary event” which constitutes a risk to other countries and requires a coordinated international response.
Such a declaration brings greater international attention and aid.
This is only the fifth such declaration in history.
Previous emergencies were: the emergence of Zika in the Americas, the swine flu pandemic, polio eradication and 2014-16 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.