The first time a director-general declared maximum alert before the committee even met
Em um momento sem precedentes na história da Organização Mundial da Saúde, seu diretor-geral agiu fora do protocolo estabelecido para declarar o mais alto nível de alerta sanitário global, reconhecendo que a velocidade de uma epidemia pode, por vezes, superar os ritmos das instituições criadas para contê-la. O surto de Ebola causado pela cepa Bundibugyo — para a qual não existem vacinas nem tratamentos — já ultrapassou as fronteiras da República Democrática do Congo, alcançando Uganda, com mais de 500 casos e 130 mortes suspeitas. A decisão de Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, tomada durante a Assembleia Mundial da Saúde em Genebra, levanta uma questão antiga sobre governança em tempos de crise: quando a urgência justifica contornar as salvaguardas que existem justamente para garantir decisões sábias?
- Pela primeira vez na história da OMS, seu diretor-geral declarou emergência de saúde pública de importância internacional sem aguardar a recomendação do Comitê de Emergência — um protocolo que existia para garantir deliberação coletiva antes de ações máximas.
- A cepa Bundibugyo do Ebola avança sem vacina nem tratamento específico, tornando cada hora de atraso uma janela a mais para o vírus cruzar fronteiras — o que já aconteceu, com dois casos confirmados em Kampala, Uganda.
- Mais de 500 casos e 130 mortes suspeitas na província de Ituri, no Congo, compõem o cenário que levou Tedros a invocar o Artigo 12 do Regulamento Sanitário Internacional e agir de forma unilateral, após consultas com ministros da saúde dos países afetados.
- Esta é a nona emergência máxima declarada pela OMS e a terceira relacionada ao Ebola — um vírus que já matou mais de 11.000 pessoas em seu surto mais devastador, entre 2014 e 2016.
- O Comitê de Emergência, embora contornado na declaração inicial, reassumirá seu papel com reuniões trimestrais para reavaliar a situação e orientar a resposta internacional enquanto o surto persistir.
Em um fim de semana de maio, o diretor-geral da Organização Mundial da Saúde tomou uma decisão inédita: declarou emergência de saúde pública de importância internacional para o surto de Ebola que avança pela República Democrática do Congo e Uganda sem antes convocar o Comitê de Emergência — o grupo de especialistas que, por protocolo, avalia a situação e recomenda se tal declaração é necessária. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus foi direto ao explicar sua escolha durante a Assembleia Mundial da Saúde em Genebra, citando o Artigo 12 do Regulamento Sanitário Internacional e sua profunda preocupação com a velocidade e a escala da epidemia.
O surto é causado pela cepa Bundibugyo do Ebola, variante para a qual não existem vacinas nem tratamentos específicos. Mais de 500 casos foram registrados na província de Ituri, no Congo, com 130 mortes suspeitas. Em Uganda, dois casos foram confirmados laboratorialmente — incluindo uma morte — entre pessoas que viajaram ao Congo e não tinham conexão aparente entre si. Ambos foram identificados em Kampala, a capital ugandense.
Esta é a nona vez que a OMS emite seu mais alto nível de alerta e a terceira vez que um surto de Ebola provoca essa resposta. A primeira ocorreu em 2014, quando a epidemia na África Ocidental matou mais de 11.000 pessoas. A segunda, em 2019, atingiu novamente o Congo. Agora, menos de uma década depois, o mundo enfrenta uma terceira emergência pelo mesmo vírus.
O Comitê de Emergência, embora tenha sido contornado na declaração inicial, seguirá atuante: se reunirá a cada três meses para reavaliar se o surto ainda representa uma emergência internacional e para emitir orientações atualizadas. A decisão de Tedros de agir sozinho reflete um cálculo sobre urgência — a conclusão de que o tempo necessário para convocar um comitê era tempo que o surto simplesmente não podia esperar.
On a weekend in May, the director-general of the World Health Organization made a decision that had never been made before in the organization's history. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda a public health emergency of international concern—the highest alert level the WHO can issue—without first convening the Emergency Committee that normally evaluates such situations and recommends whether to declare one.
The move caught much of the world off guard. The WHO has a established procedure: when an outbreak threatens to cross borders and spread globally, the director-general calls together a committee of international experts to assess the threat, issue recommendations, and advise whether an emergency declaration is warranted. Only then does the director-general typically act. This time, Tedros bypassed that step entirely, moving straight to the maximum alert status before the committee had even met. Speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, he explained his reasoning with unusual directness. He cited Article 12 of the International Health Regulations, said he had consulted with health ministers from both affected countries, and pointed to what he described as his deep concern about the speed and scale of the epidemic spreading before them.
The outbreak is caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, a variant for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist. As of the WHO's latest count, more than 500 cases had been recorded in Ituri province in the DRC, with 130 suspected deaths. Two cases had been confirmed by laboratory testing in Uganda—including one death—among people who had traveled to the DRC and showed no apparent connection to each other. Both were identified in Kampala, Uganda's capital. The virus was moving with a speed that seemed to justify Tedros's decision to act outside the normal framework.
This marks the ninth time the WHO has declared its highest level of alert since the organization began issuing such declarations. It is the third time an Ebola outbreak has triggered this response. The first came in 2014, when a massive outbreak in West Africa killed more than 11,000 people over nearly three years and sparked fears the disease would spread to other continents. A second declaration came in 2019 for another outbreak in the DRC, which lasted until mid-2020. Now, less than a decade later, the organization faces a third Ebola emergency.
The Emergency Committee, despite being bypassed in the initial declaration, will still play a role going forward. The group—composed of specialists from different countries selected to help the WHO and member states respond to emerging public health threats—will reconvene every three months to reassess whether the outbreak remains an international emergency and to issue updated guidance. The committee's work will continue as long as the threat persists, shaping the international response to a virus that has no vaccine and no cure.
Tedros's decision to act unilaterally, while unprecedented, reflects a calculation about urgency. The Bundibugyo strain is moving fast. It has already crossed from the DRC into Uganda. Without a vaccine or proven treatment, containment depends on rapid detection, isolation, and careful management of contacts. The director-general apparently concluded that the time required to convene a committee, hear its deliberations, and wait for its recommendation was time the outbreak could not afford. Whether that judgment proves sound will become clear in the weeks and months ahead, as the Emergency Committee begins its regular reassessments and the international community mobilizes its response.
Notable Quotes
This is the first time a director-general declares a public health emergency of international concern before convening an emergency committee. I did not take this decision lightly. I did so in accordance with Article 12 of the International Health Regulations, after consulting with health ministers of both countries, and because I am deeply concerned about the speed and scale of the epidemic.— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, speaking at the World Health Assembly in Geneva
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why did Tedros break with protocol? Was there pressure to act faster?
He cited the speed and scale of the outbreak—over 500 cases, no vaccine, no treatment. The Bundibugyo strain was already crossing borders. He felt the normal committee process would cost time the epidemic couldn't spare.
But doesn't the Emergency Committee exist precisely to evaluate whether a situation warrants that highest level of alert?
Yes. That's the tension. He invoked Article 12 of the International Health Regulations to justify acting alone, and he did consult the health ministers of both countries. But he essentially said the committee's deliberation could happen after the declaration, not before it.
Has a WHO director-general ever done this before?
Never. This is the first time in the organization's history that a director-general has declared a public health emergency of international concern before convening the Emergency Committee. It's a significant break from how the system is supposed to work.
What happens now with the committee?
They'll still meet, and they'll reconvene every three months to reassess whether the emergency status should continue and to issue updated recommendations. So the committee's role isn't eliminated—it's just reordered. The declaration came first.
Is there any precedent for this kind of urgency in other outbreaks?
The 2014 West African Ebola outbreak killed over 11,000 people and took nearly three years to contain. The 2019 outbreak in the DRC lasted about a year. This is the third Ebola emergency the WHO has declared. Each time, the organization has learned something about how fast these outbreaks can move.