The World Health Organization on Wednesday finally declared the Democratic Republic of Congo’s year-long Ebola outbreak an international health emergency, a rare designation only used for the gravest epidemics.

The decision will trigger more funding and attention to a crisis which has been largely ignored by the international community since it began last August.

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director general of the WHO, said: “It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system."

This is the fourth time WHO has called an emergency meeting in this outbreak, with the organisation previously reluctant to declare an emergency.

The decision comes after a case of the disease emerged in Goma, a city bordering Rwanda and with a population of nearly two million people. The patient, a pastor, has now died and the case sparked fears that the disease could run out of control in such a densely-packed urban area.