00:00The chief of the World Health Organization says he is deeply concerned by the scale and spread of the Ebola
00:07outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
00:10The comments come as a WHO expert panel prepares to meet to assess possible vaccine options to help contain the
00:18outbreak.
00:22This is the first time a director general has declared a fiqh before convening an emergency committee.
00:34I did not do this lightly.
00:37I did it in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations after consulting the ministers of health of
00:46both countries.
00:47And because I'm deeply concerned about the scale and the speed of the epidemic.
00:55The epicenter of the outbreak is in Ituri province in the northeastern Congo, with the virus already spreading beyond the
01:02country's borders, including Uganda.
01:05The WHO says there are now more than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.
01:13The virus involves the rare Bunibozio strain of Ebola, which has no approved vaccine or treatment, and a fatality rate
01:20of up to 40%.
01:21The UN Health Agency says it has deployed staff, supplies and emergency funding worth $3.9 million to support the
01:29response.
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