The Ebola outbreak in West Africa now constitutes an ‘extraordinary event' and a coordinated international response is essential to ‘stop and reverse the international spread' of the disease, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

It made its comments following the first meeting of its emergency committee on Ebola. During the two-day meeting, the WHO provided an update and assessment of the outbreak, which has already lead to over 930 deaths in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

More than 1,700 cases have so far been reported, making this by far the largest outbreak of Ebola ever recorded.

Ebola virus disease is a severe and often fatal illness. It is initially transmitted to humans from wild animals, but human-to-human transmission can then occur as a result of direct contact with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, or indirect contact with environments that have been contaminated with these fluids.

Symptoms include the sudden onset of fever, headache, sore throat, muscle pain and weakness. This is then followed by diarrhoea, vomiting, rash and impaired liver and kidney function. Internal and external bleeding, including bleeding from the eyes, can also occur.

Those affected require intensive care and there is currently no treatment or vaccine available. Where an outbreak occurs, the case fatality rate can reach 90%.

The WHO emergency committee described the current outbreak as an ‘extraordinary event' and a public health risk to other states.

"The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus, the intensive community and health-facility transmission patterns, and the weak health systems in the currently affected and most at-risk countries. A coordinated international response is deemed essential to stop and reverse the international spread of Ebola," the committee advised.

It noted that the current outbreak began in Guinea in December 2013, but has now spread to three other countries. It also noted that there are a number of challenges faced by the affected countries, including:
-Fragile health systems that are unable to mount an adequate response
-Inexperience of dealing with Ebola and misperceptions about how it is transmitted
-High mobility of populations, including cross-border movement.

The committee recommended that the heads of state of those countries affected should declare a national emergency and should personally address their nations to keep them informed and updated. It also called on affected states to ensure that there is proper engagement with the community, so that quick identification of cases can occur.

Affected states should also ensure that healthcare workers receive adequate training, security measures and pay. A high number of infections have been recorded among healthcare workers, suggesting inadequate infection control in many health facilities.

The committee also recommended that exit screenings should take place at all international airports in affected states and no Ebola victims should be allowed to travel unless that travel is part of an appropriate medical evacuation.

Meanwhile the Health Protection Surveillance Centre here is reminding anyone who has travelled to Ireland from any of the affected regions to seek urgent medical attention if they develop a fever, diarrhoea or unexplained fatigue within 21 days.