--- title: WHO Resisted Calling Ebola an Emergency description: Internal documents reveal top WHO officials stalled on calling Ebola an emergency canonical: https://time.com/3752822/who-ebola-outbreak-emergency/ author: Alexandra Sifferlin article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-20T18:48:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:59:37.483Z article:section: Health og:title: WHO Resisted Calling Ebola an Emergency og:description: Internal documents reveal top WHO officials stalled on calling Ebola an emergency og:url: https://time.com/3752822/who-ebola-outbreak-emergency/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf42d2cdeb906af5/698784940b72e37c1b6de470/ap477016514031-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: The World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters building in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 . og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: WHO Resisted Calling Ebola an Emergency twitter:description: Internal documents reveal top WHO officials stalled on calling Ebola an emergency twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltcf42d2cdeb906af5/698784940b72e37c1b6de470/ap477016514031-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # U.N. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=231ac62f-48b4-4263-9e0f-066c32bc6599&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained [Watch (HLS stream): Ebola: The Deadly Virus Outbreak Explained](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/oB7TO3G5.m3u8) (1:36)  _Published 2014-07-29. A look at the numbers behind the largest ebola outbreak on record, which has killed 670 people thus far._ by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 20, 2015 6:48 PM UTC  The World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters building in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 . The World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters building in Geneva, Switzerland on Wednesday, March 11, 2015 . Raphael Satter — AP by [Alexandra Sifferlin](https://time.com/author/alexandra-sifferlin/) ## Alexandra Sifferlin Mar 20, 2015 6:48 PM UTC Top officials at the World Health Organization (WHO) dragged their feet in declaring the Ebola outbreak an emergency, according to a report by the Associated Press. Internal documents from the U.N’s health agency revealed that officials at its Geneva headquarters were aware of how serious the Ebola outbreak was, but continued to put off calling it an emergency due to a number of concerns, including the effect on the economies of the affected countries, and the impact on the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca. By the time the WHO did call the outbreak an emergency nearly 1,000 people had already died, the AP reports. The WHO is the only group that can declare a health emergency of international concern. Declaring the epidemic an emergency might have spurred international attention and resources much earlier, possibly saving lives. In an emailed comment to the Associated Press, the WHO said: “People often confuse the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern with our operational response. It is very different. WHO mounted a strong operational response a year ago when we were notified the outbreak was Ebola.” [Read the entire report at the _Associated Press_](http://bigstory.ap.org/article/2489c78bff86463589b41f3faaea5ab2/emails-un-health-agency-resisted-declaring-ebola-emergency)_._ ## Transcript The Ebola virus is highly contagious and one of the deadliest viruses in the world. A current outbreak is raging in the three West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. The outbreak, which has killed over 670. People is the largest Ebola outbreak on record. It won't be considered over until no new confirmed cases appear for 42 days. There have been at least 1, 093 confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of Ebola in the current outbreak. Humans contract the virus from infected animals or other humans through contact with bodily fluids. Typically, the virus kills around 90 % of those who are infected. But thanks to early treatment, the number has dropped to 60 % in the current outbreak. Because it can take between 2 and 21 days for symptoms to show, health officials suggest keeping a 21 day fever watch. In addition to fever, other symptoms are headaches, joint pain, lack of appetite, difficulty breathing, and sore throat. In later stages, Ebola causes diarrhea, vomiting, and internal bleeding. Though it's been almost 40 years since the disease was first discovered in 1976, the grim reality is that there are currently no cures or effective treatments for the virus. [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3752822/who-ebola-outbreak-emergency/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3752822/who-ebola-outbreak-emergency/"},"headline":"U.N. 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