Brussels, 30/07/2014 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission announced on Wednesdya 30 July that it is allocating an additional €2 million to respond to the worst Ebola outbreak ever recorded in West Afirca (in Guinea and neighbouring countries).
So far, the highly contagious flesh-eating Ebola virus has affected 1,200 and killed 672 in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. One case has been confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria - the patient in question died on 26 July.
The additional EU funding will help contain the spread of the epidemic and provide immediate healthcare to the affected communities. It brings the Commission's aid in the fight against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa to €3.9 million.
“The level of contamination on the ground is extremely worrying and we need to scale up our action before many more lives are lost”, said Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response. “I want to pay tribute to the health workers who strive around the clock to help the victims and prevent further contagion, often at serious risk to their own lives. The EU itself has deployed experts to the affected countries to help assess the situation and coordinate with the authorities. But we need a sustained effort from the international community to help West Africa deal with this menace”.
The EU's support will be channelled through partner organisations of ECHO (the EU's humanitarian aid and civl protetion service): the World Health Organisation, Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent.
European Commission experts in the affected countries are assessing the situation and working in coordination with local authorities and partner humanitarian organisations. The risk of the virus spreading to Europe is currently low, since most cases are in remote areas in the affected countries and those who are ill or in contact with the disease are encouraged to remain isolated. However, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) is keeping the situation constantly under review and has issued several Rapid Risk Assessments providing guidance on how to proceed if suspected cases were to be detected in the EU. To date no cases have been detected among returning travellers in Europe. (AN)