Jojy Cheriyan MD,MPH August 12,2014

In response to the Ebola outbreak in 4 West African countries, WHO (World Health Organization) declared International Health Emergency saying, the outbreak constitutes an “extraordinary event” and a public health risk to other countries, and called for an immediate international response necessary to prevent further spread of the virus internationally.

The latest figures on the crisis released by WHO placed the estimated death toll at nearly 1013, with more than 1800 confirmed and suspected cases. "Due to fragile health systems in West Africa, with deficits in both financial and human resources, WHO is advising leaders of regions affected by Ebola to coordinate effective national emergency disaster response measures for a comprehensive containment plan"- said the WHO official.

In the mean time, the Spanish priest Fr.Miguel Pajares, 75, the first European infected by Ebola, died today (Tuesday, August 12) in a hospital in Madrid. The priest was airlifted from Liberia on August 7 after contracting the disease while working for a non-governmental missionary organization in the African country.

The Health Ministry of Spain said he was being treated with the experimental drug ZMapp, manufactured by U.S. company Mapp Biopharmaceutical, but could not be saved. His body will be cremated Wednesday to avoid any further public health risks, the hospital officials said.

Another catholic missionary George Combey, who was working alongside Fr.Pajares in Liberia, also died of Ebola. Combey died at the ELWA Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia, after contracting the virus. The Catholic Order in a statement said, Combey was unaware he was infected when Fr.Pajares was evacuated from the region for Madrid, and so remained in Liberia.

Two African nuns infected with Ebola who worked with Fr.Pajares were denied permission to join them on the flight to Madrid. One of those nuns, from Congo, Sister Chantal Pascaline, died on Saturday (Aug.9th) at San Jose Hospital in Monrovia, Liberia.

WHO decided it is ethical to use experimental treatments and vaccines in the ongoing outbreak even though there is no evidence yet that these experimental drugs can actually help fight Ebola. It is possible these drugs could be harmful. So far Ebola outbreak has shown almost 50 percent death rate.

WHO is set to conduct an ethical meeting next week to discuss the use of ZMapp, an experimental drug which showed promising results after being administered in Ebola-stricken American relief workers Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol.

Meanwhile, the FDA changed the clinical hold on Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp’s experimental vaccine, "TKM-Ebola", to a partial hold last week. The drug was in a Phase I clinical trial before the study was halted on July 3, 2014. Upgrading the hold allows for the potential use of "TKM-Ebola Vaccine" to treat patients infected with the virus, the FDA said.

Liberian Health Minister said today that it would treat two infected doctors with the scarce experimental Ebola drug ZMapp. These two doctors will be the first Africans to receive the treatment. He said the drug was expected to reach Liberia within the next 48 hours from the United  States. Mapp Biopharmaceutical in the U.S says, its supply of the drug has been exhausted, after the company provided doses to West African nations.

Ebola is highly contagious and  kills more than half of its victims. It is believed to have been transferred from fruit bats to humans in Guinea late 2013, and then spread over to neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. The virus has since spread to Nigeria via a passenger from Liberia who collapsed in the busy Lagos airport in late July 2014 and later died. Nigeria now has more than 10 confirmed Ebola cases, according to Health Ministry.This incident shows the disease can spread fast. More than 60 health care workers have been killed in West Africa and many are severely infected, hindering efforts to cope with the crisis.