West African Ebola outbreak is declared a global emergency

This milestone did not mean that all forms of polio risk worldwide had disappeared.

The World Health Assembly approved the WHO Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 on this date, acknowledging that practices differ across regions.

The strategy sought a stronger evidence base to help countries make informed decisions about traditional and complementary medicine.

The Assembly-backed strategy called for quality assurance, safety, proper use and regulation rather than blanket endorsement of treatments.

Assessing whether traditional and complementary practices work was explicitly among the strategy’s stated aims.

The declaration called for international assistance to affected West African countries.

The response depended on local caregivers, safe care and contact tracing amid serious risks.

The declaration marked international concern; it was not the beginning or end of the outbreak.

WHO verified that Ecuador had eliminated transmission of human onchocerciasis.

Repeated ivermectin distribution and surveillance supported elimination.