Geneva: WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said he was “deeply concerned” by the “scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak spreading across the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, warning that the epidemic had already claimed 131 lives.

“Early on Sunday, I declared a public health emergency of international concern over an epidemic of Ebola disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda,” Tedros told delegates during the World Health Assembly in Geneva.

“I did not do this lightly... I'm deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” he added.

The WHO chief’s remarks came days after the global health body declared the Ebola outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), amid fears over the rapid spread of the virus across borders in Central Africa.

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Speaking at the opening of the annual World Health Assembly, Tedros also warned that the Ebola outbreak and the recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship reflected a larger pattern of global instability and health threats.

“The deadly hantavirus and Ebola outbreaks are only the latest crises in dangerous and divisive times,” he said.

Referring to the broader international situation, Tedros said, “From conflicts to economic crises to climate change and aid cuts, we live in difficult, dangerous and divisive times.”

He was expected to further elaborate on the growing risks during his main address to the week-long assembly attended by health ministers and senior delegates from across the world.

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Meanwhile, Pedro Sanchez also addressed the gathering and stressed the importance of global cooperation in tackling health emergencies.

“No country can save itself” on its own, Sanchez said, while praising collective action and solidarity during crises.

The Spanish Prime Minister’s remarks came after Spain allowed the virus-hit MV Hondius cruise ship to anchor off the Canary Islands last week for the evacuation of passengers and crew.

“Protecting others is the best way to protect ourselves,” Sanchez said, warning against rising global divisions.

“Currently, defending common sense has become a form of rebellion,” he added, lamenting what he described as an ongoing “pandemic of egoism”.