WHO Declares Ebola Outbreak an International Public Health Emergency

GENEVA, Aug. 8 - The World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa an international public health emergency on Friday, a rare step that calls for a coordinated global response to what has become the largest and deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.

After a two day teleconference of its emergency committee, the agency said the spread of the virus across several countries is an "extraordinary event" that could have serious consequences beyond the region. Director General Margaret Chan said a coordinated international response is essential to stop and reverse the international spread.

The outbreak began in Guinea earlier this year and has since spread to Liberia and Sierra Leone, with a small number of cases in Nigeria. More than 900 people have died so far, according to WHO figures. Health officials say the true numbers are probably higher, since many cases have gone unreported in remote areas.

What the declaration means: It does not by itself bring new money or staff, and it is not a travel ban. WHO specifically advised against general bans on travel or trade. Instead, it recommends that affected countries declare a national emergency, screen people leaving airports and border crossings, and that other countries be ready to identify and treat any traveler who becomes ill. The agency also said people with Ebola should not travel internationally unless for medical evacuation.

Ebola spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of a person who is sick, or with contaminated objects such as needles. It does not spread through the air like the flu. Symptoms include fever, severe headache, vomiting, and in some cases bleeding. Early treatment of symptoms improves survival, but there is no approved vaccine or cure.

Doctors and nurses have been among the hardest hit. Health workers in the affected countries have died after treating patients, and several international aid groups say hospitals are overwhelmed. Two American aid workers who were infected in Liberia, Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, have received an experimental drug that has never been tested in people.

For people in the United States, the risk remains very low, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which has raised its alert level and sent staff to West Africa. The CDC advises anyone who has traveled recently to the region and develops a fever to seek care and tell the provider where they have been.