Story highlights Since August 1, there have been 216 cases of Ebola including 139 deaths

A clinical trial of four experimental drugs for treating Ebola will be conducted soon

(CNN) The ongoing outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo does not meet the criteria for a public health emergency of international concern, the World Health Organization said Wednesday.

Since the outbreak began August 1, there have been 216 cases of Ebola including 139 deaths, according to WHO. Fifty-seven patients have recovered from the illness, the nation's Ministry of Health reported Tuesday.

"We do have some optimism that this outbreak, just like the one in May, will be brought under control in reasonable time," Robert Steffen, chairman of the WHO International Health Regulations Emergency Committee, said Wednesday.

The emergency committee reviewed the latest information on the latest outbreak and determined that it is of regional concern but not of global concern at this time.

WHO's Robert Steffen and Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Lawrence O. Gostin, a professor and faculty director of the O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown Law, wrote in an email that the WHO committee "should have declared a public health emergency of international concern due to the high level of risk to the Congo and neighboring countries." This would have mobilized resources for neighboring countries and garnered the attention of political leaders, said Gostin, who is not a member of the committee.

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