Brussels, 15/10/2014 (Agence Europe) - There have already been 4,447 deaths in West Africa and the Ebola epidemic could now affect between 5,000 and 10,000 people a week as from next December, according to a warning from WHO on Tuesday 14 October, just before a meeting of the UN Security Council on this subject. This message received a 5 out of 5 at the European Commission, on the condition that it mobilises on all the different fronts: humanitarian, health, civil protection, short-, medium- and long-term development, and security. Nonetheless it is proving rather reluctant to send out medical teams and introduce an appropriate system for evacuating international medical personnel (Medivac). This position was confirmed on Tuesday 14 October in Brussels by senior EU officials during a briefing on the EU's coordinated response to this health, economic and security crisis. The Foreign Affairs Council on 20 October in Luxembourg will be debating this issue.
This Ebola epidemic is the worst that has ever been recorded but is not yet a pandemic, according to a senior official because, “it is localised in three West African countries. It would be a pandemic if it had spread to other regions. These countries need support to guarantee that the epidemic does not become a pandemic. The theatre of operations is in West Africa and it is there where we need to take action”. Although the high-level EU health ministers' meeting organised for Thursday 16 October in Brussels will focus on controlling entry into the EU, the Commission is currently sticking to WHO recommendations.
A senior official asserted that, “WHO is recommending efficient exit controls on all passengers leaving Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, in an effort to minimise the risk to other passengers. For the moment, we are not recommending entry controls. WHO will revise the new rules and exit controls are crucial”.
One European source explained that crisis management and strategic planning experts at the EEAS will be looking at ways of improving the system and supporting the three leading countries in this field, United Kingdom, France and Germany, if the disease expands to other regions, in an effort to respond to the worst possible scenario, with both civil and military means.
Another European source said that, “the crisis has not been mitigated. The first major challenge is to mobilise more medical personnel. MSF does not want to work alone. We need to mobilise medical teams and volunteers and train up the latter. They also need a guarantee, if needed, that they will be repatriated. We have to set up a medical evacuation system. At this stage, if someone is sick, we will be able to repatriate them”. This same source, however, acknowledged that, “no aircraft is on permanent standby or ready to take off”. For normal medical cases (someone who is sick but not diagnosed), the EU is working with the commercial airlines in both cases, whether this involves identified Ebola patients who are not yet displaying symptoms or people who are infected and contagious. A memorandum of understanding has been signed with the American Phoenix Air company. An expert from the European Commission explained, “thanks to this framework contract, we have the guarantee that we'll be able to find an aircraft to repatriate two patients simultaneously but if there is another one, we'll have problems. We will continue to launch tenders so that member states can mobilise their respective capacity if required. Some member states are proceeding to an examination of their capacity as from the end of the month”. Out of the €450 million earmarked by the EU so far, €180 million comes from the Commission and €300 million from member states. (AN)