WHO declares Ebola outbreak an international public health emergency

The Ebola outbreak which has resulted in over 930 deaths in West Africa has officially been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organisation.
The outbreak has been placed in the category of "public health emergencies of international concern" at an emergency meeting in Geneva.
WHO officials called the spread of the disease an "extraordinary event" and said the possible global consequences were "particularly serious", the BBC reports.
The announcement will trigger a "coordinated international response" which will aim to contain and control the deadly outbreak. However, action would stop short of a widespread ban on travel or trade.
Containment of the disease is becoming "impossible for these governments to handle themselves", Stephen Morrison, the director of the Global Health Policy Centre at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.
While health officials at the WHO said the threat was serious, they also said "it is an infection which can be controlled". Much of the blame of the spread of the disease has been placed on the region's poor public health infrastructure.

Ebola virus factfile 

What is the Ebola virus and what are the symptoms? 

The World Health Organization describes Ebola as "a severe acute viral illness". Early symptoms are similar to malaria and include the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, diarrhoea, vomiting and both internal and external bleeding.

Is there a cure? 

There is no known cure or vaccine for the virus and the disease kills between 25 and 90 per cent of its victims. The only treatment doctors can offer is "supportive intensive care" such as rehydration of infected patients under strict quarantine.

Where did it come from? 

Scientists believe it was initially present in wild animals such as fruit bats living in tropical rainforests in equatorial Africa. The disease spread to humans when they came into contact with the organs, blood or other bodily fluids from infected animals through hunting.

How is it spread? 

Ebola is highly infectious. It can be transmitted through contact with the blood, bodily fluids and organs, including skin, of sufferers or through indirect contact with environments contaminated by the disease. The disease can also have a long incubation period, up to three weeks, which allows it to spread rapidly before diagnosis and quarantine can take place.