The risk of a global endemic from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa is considered low, according to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.
Tedros said Wednesday that the risk in some parts of Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is considered high. He said there have now been 51 confirmed cases from the Bundibugyo strain, and global health officials suspect hundreds more.
The WHO has confirmed 139 deaths tied to the virus.
RELATED STORY | What to know about the Ebola outbreak that the WHO has declared a global health emergency
“I determined that the situation was not a pandemic emergency, which is the new and highest classification under the amended International Health Regulations,” Tedros said.
He added that the number of cases could grow in the coming weeks.
“There are several factors that warrant serious concern about the potential for further spread and further deaths,” he said. “We expect those numbers to keep increasing, given the amount of time the virus was circulating before the outbreak was detected.”
The virus has been traced to several regions within the DRC, and there is no vaccine to prevent the spread of this strain. Earlier this week, WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
“In light of all these risks, I decided it was urgent to act immediately to prevent more deaths and mobilize an effective and international response,” Tedros said.
RELATED STORY | WHO calls Ebola outbreak in Congo ‘deeply concerning,’ no vaccine available
The Bundibugyo strain has a fatality rate between 25 percent and 50 percent, WHO said. Common symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, severe weakness, abdominal pain, nosebleeds and vomiting blood.
The outbreak was detected earlier this month among a cluster of health care workers in the DRC.
On Monday, the United States placed travel restrictions on non-U.S. passport holders who have been in Uganda, the DRC or South Sudan in the past 21 days.
