World Health Organization calls Ebola

outbreak a health emergency

By Associated Press, adapted by Newsela staff on 07.23.19
Word Count 484
Level 570L

Image 1. A health worker wearing a protective suit enters a patient's isolation pod at a treatment center in Beni, Congo, July 13, 2019. Photo
by: Jerome Delay/AP Photo

GENEVA, Switzerland — Ebola is spreading on the African continent. The deadly illness is
spreading in Congo. It is a country in Central Africa.

It's now being called a health emergency outside the country, too. An emergency means a country
is in danger. People are dying from Ebola. Ebola is a rare sickness. It spreads through infected
body fluids.

The Congo needs help from other countries.

Outbreak Actually Began In August 2018

The World Health Organization (WHO) made the announcement. WHO called Ebola an
emergency on July 17. A case of the deadly illness was found in Goma. The city in Congo has 2
million people.

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People with Ebola usually have a fever. Their body
temperature is high. Their stomach hurts. Bleeding
within the body happens. Often, people do not get
better and die.

Some experts say Ebola could have been called an

emergency long ago. More than 1,600 people have
died since August 2018. It's the second-deadliest
Ebola outbreak ever. It's also growing in a tough area.
Different groups have been fighting in the area.

A world health emergency often brings greater

understanding. More help comes from outside
countries. This includes financial and medical help.

Governments also become nervous. They might overreact. They might not let people from
impacted areas into their countries.

More Money Needed To Stop The Spread Of Ebola

The emergency comes days after one case was found in Goma. The city has a large airport there.
Thousands travel to and from the airport.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is in charge of WHO. Ghebreyesus said the danger of the disease
spreading in the area remains high. Still, he said the danger of the disease spreading other places
remains low.

He insisted the declaration wasn't made to raise more money. Still, WHO estimated "hundreds of
millions" of dollars would be needed. It could help stop the spread of sickness.

Dr. Joanne Liu is president of Doctors Without Borders. The group includes doctors from around
the world. They help provide medical care in areas where there are not as many doctors. Liu hoped
Ebola response efforts would get better.

"It's still not under control," she said. "We cannot keep doing the same thing and expect different
results."

Liu said more people should get vaccines, which fight off the illness. More efforts should be made
to build trust within communities as well, she believed.

This is the fifth such announcement in history. One emergency was declared before because of
Ebola. It happened from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa. It killed more than 11,000 people. The other
emergencies were Zika in the Americas, the swine flu disease and polio.

WHO defines a world emergency as an out-of-the-ordinary event that causes risks to other
countries.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.

Quiz

1 Read the section "More Money Needed To Stop The Spread Of Ebola."

Select the paragraph from the section that explains one way to stop Ebola from spreading.

(A) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is in charge of WHO. Ghebreyesus said the danger of the disease
spreading in the area remains high. Still, he said the danger of the disease spreading other places
remains low.

(B) Liu said more people should get vaccines, which fight off the illness. More efforts should be made to
build trust within communities as well, she believed.

(C) This is the fifth such announcement in history. One emergency was declared before because of Ebola. It
happened from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa. It killed more than 11,000 people. The other emergencies
were Zika in the Americas, the swine flu disease and polio.

(D) WHO defines a world emergency as an out-of-the-ordinary event that causes risks to other countries.

2 Which sentence explains when experts think the newest Ebola outbreak really started?

(A) WHO called Ebola an emergency on July 17.

(B) More than 1,600 people have died since August 2018.

(C) The emergency comes days after one case was found in Goma.

(D) It happened from 2014 to 2016 in West Africa.

3 Look at Image 2.

Based on the image, where was a case of Ebola just discovered?

(A) Kinshasa

(B) Beni

(C) Butembo

(D) Goma

4 How does Image 1 help the reader understand what is going on with Ebola in Congo?

(A) It shows a person in Congo who is raising money to fight the disease.

(B) It shows a person in Congo who has gotten the deadly disease.

(C) It shows a health worker giving people vaccines for the disease.

(D) It shows a health worker treating a patient with the deadly disease.

This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.