WHO chief worried about 'scale and speed' of deadly Ebola outbreak

KINSHASA, May 19: The World Health Organization on Tuesday voiced concern about the "scale and speed" of an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has killed an estimated 131 people, and warned it could be lengthy.

The WHO has declared the surge of the highly contagious haemorrhagic fever an international health emergency and called an emergency meeting on the crisis.

No vaccine or therapeutic treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola responsible for the latest outbreak of the disease, which has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa in the past half-century.    �"AFP