With no clear end in sight for the Democratic Republic of Congo's worsening Ebola outbreak, health experts are split on whether declaring an international emergency would help contain the outbreak or create more violence, reports STAT.
The World Health Organization's emergency committee ruled that the outbreak does not yet constitute a public health emergency of international concern in October 2018 and again this April.
Some health security experts say the WHO is overdue for such a declaration, which would boost resources and funding to help end the outbreak.
However, other experts expressed concerns that a funding increase could actually exacerbate violence in the area and complicate containment efforts. For example, some militia groups have been kidnapping aid workers for ransom. Additional funding could fuel these attempts.
As of May 12, the WHO reported 1,705 confirmed and probable infections linked to the outbreak, including 1,124 deaths.