05/29/2026
If you've been following the news, you've probably heard the term 'PHEIC' or 'Public Health Emergency of International Concern' during coverage of the Ebola outbreak in the DRC (Democratic Republic of the Congo) and neighboring countries.
A PHEIC is defined by the World Health Organization as a serious or unusual disease outbreak which has been determined to pose a significant public health risk due to international spread, and which generally requires immediate, coordinated international action.
The WHO has declared the Ebola outbreak to be a PHEIC, but DON'T PANIC. That does NOT mean that there will be a pandemic. The purpose of the declaration is to trigger actions that are meant to prevent an outbreak from becoming a pandemic in the first place, facilitating collaboration between nations and NGOs to establish screening and monitoring programs, increase production of protective equipment for care providers and first responders, and develop awareness campaigns to help individuals avoid infection and limit the spread of the disease. You might not even notice all the work public health professionals are doing in the background.
According to the CDC, the current risk to the American public and travelers is LOW 🟢
For up-to-date information on the outbreak, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ebola/situation-summary/index.html -current-situation
