Brussels, 17/02/2015 (Agence Europe) - It is not yet the end of the tunnel in the fight against Ebola but the senior level international conference organised and hosted by the EU on 3 March in Brussels is expected to help West African countries put an end to the epidemic and recover once the epidemic is eradicated.
This conference will be co-chaired by Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, the three countries most affected by the epidemic, as well as Togo, the country coordinating the fight against the virus within ECOWAS, the United Nations and the African Union. Its objective is to examine the current situation and develop an international response based on the “harmonised plan” for tackling Ebola and creating economic recovery. This will be presented by Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, which are determined to eradicate the Ebola haemorrhagic fever by mid-April. The heads of state of these three poor countries, whose economic and social fabric has been devastated, made this commitment during the Conakry Summit on 15 February and intend to meet this challenge with the support of the international community.
Federica Mogherini, the EU high representative for foreign affairs, Christos Stylianides, commissioner for humanitarian aid and coordinator of the EU's response to Ebola, Neven Mimica, European commissioner for development, all the countries from West Africa and the 28 member states of the EU will attend, as well as representatives from the UN, IMF, World Bank, NGOs, private sector and research institutes. So far, the EU has earmarked more than €1.2 billion in humanitarian, health, civil protection and development assistance.
In total, the epidemic has killed more than 9,100 people out of 22,800 confirmed cases of infection, according to the WHO. After slowing down, Ebola recently increased again with cases confirmed in Guinea. Liberia is continuing to register the lowest number of confirmed cases, whilst the continued transmission of the disease in Sierra Leone continues. (Aminata Niang)