90-Second Read: WHO Is Alarmed At 'Scale And Speed' Of Ebola Outbreak As Hantavirus Threat Recedes

Two weeks ago, the Hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship, sparked international panic and wall-to-wall news coverage, but it has now been brought under control, Tedros told the assembly. So far, there are 11 reported cases, including three deaths, and no deaths have been reported since the second of May, when WHO was first informed of the outbreak on the ship. The outbreaks of Ebola and Hantavirus in the past two weeks show why international threats need an international response. More than 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths beyond the confirmed caseload have been reported.

The Ebola virus kills up to half of those it infects, making any outbreak particularly dangerous. In response to the outbreak, the United States banned citizens from the DRC, Uganda and Sudan from entering the US on Monday. Also read: Tedros: 'We Live in Difficult, Dangerous and Divisive Times' The rapid spiral led Tedros to declare the outbreak a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) on Sunday, the first time a Director-General has done so before convening an emergency committee. Tedros said the figures would change as field operations scale up, including strengthening surveillance, contact tracing, and laboratory testing.

After heavy criticism of the WHO's slow handling of the 2014 West African Ebola epidemic, the agency's chief appears unwilling to allow a repeat of history. The outbreak is likely to have originated in DRC's Ituri province, a high-traffic mining area on the borders of South Sudan and Uganda, which "increases the risk of regional exportation and cross-border transmission", according to the WHO. The picture is markedly different for Hantavirus, which Tedros also addressed. WHO's assessment continues to be that the risk of Hantavirus globally is low.

The first confirmed case was a health worker, meaning the virus was already moving through medical settings before anyone knew it was there. Those numbers have changed little since the outbreak was first reported to WHO two weeks ago. The two outbreaks, emerging within two weeks of each other, served as a reminder of WHO's core function, Tedros told the assembly.