Brussels, 03/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - There should be no let up in the fight against the Ebola virus. On 3 March in Brussels, the participants at the high-level international conference on Ebola, jointly chaired by the EU and the presidents of Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, United Nations, African Union and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), emphasised the need to continue the measures to eliminate the number of infection cases and for the international community to evaluate different measures that could be used to help the countries affected recover.
The aim of the conference was to help countries from West Africa put a halt to the epidemic and recover once the disease was eradicated. This would be on the basis of the different needs expressed in the “harmonised plan” for tackling Ebola and restoring economic recovery, which Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone will be presenting to the World Bank and IMF this April. Christos Stylianides, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and EU coordinator on Ebola, asserted, “we have an important mission: formulating the next measures necessary to tackle the disease, continue international mobilisation and help the countries affected recover… The discussions were very constructive and fruitful”. Federica Mogherini, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, stated: “Ebola is a challenge that we need to continue to fight collectively, swiftly and in a long-term perspective, so that we can help to ensure that no other epidemic can have such devastating effects in the future… It is incumbent on us to improve the efficiency of our development aid and reinvigorate regional cooperation”.
Analyse the progress achieved and plan post-crisis aid. The international community has renewed its commitment to help West Africa invest in those affected by the virus. This currently involves planning the post-crisis phase of aid with particular emphasis on public services as a whole, including healthcare, water purification, food safety, education, maintaining the means of subsistence and economic recovery. At this stage, it will be necessary to set up mobile health teams to more effectively execute a balanced response. In the field of personnel, between 200 and 300 public health specialists are still required, particularly in Africa, so that more efficiency can be obtained. The UN coordinator for tackling the epidemic, David Nabarro, was delighted that the delays that have occurred with regard to mobilising and training thousands of care workers needed has, on the other hand, now mainly been rectified, thanks to a commitment from many African countries and the introduction of a medicalised evacuation system backing up foreign volunteers.
The conference also reviewed the progress achieved for tackling the epidemic and illustrated the concrete measures that help to: 1) guarantee that the funds promised are indeed available and that the international support is maintained until the Ebola epidemic is completely eradicated; 2) making the international response more mobile and flexible; 3) promoting regional cooperation; 4) helping West African countries in their initiatives to prevent and control epidemics and prepare, so that other equally devastating epidemics are prevented; 5) introducing resilient health systems in the countries affected; 6) enhancing governance in the countries suffering from the epidemic.
Relaunching the economy in West Africa. The recovery of the African countries affected is a priority and will be achieved by restoring and improving basic services (health, education, water, health facilities) and through a return to sustainable economic development.
Within the perspective of this objective, ministers from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, expressed their own calculations and projects to help promote national recovery within the harmonised plan for regional cooperation. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the president of Liberia, explained that they needed to “prepare a regional 'zero Ebola' plan by coordinating data exchange systems and border monitoring, as well as by improving our health systems, staff training (care workers) and refresher courses for the different health facilities.”. Ernest Bai Koroma, the president of Sierra Leone, said: “We are hoping for coordination from the international community and that it works with us”. He emphasised the need for transparency and responsibility among the African governments, supported by the international community, in view of reporting back to donors. The president of Guinea, Alpha Condé, said that the current situation is particularly sensitive because there is a strong temptation to reduce the pressure given that the epidemic is regressing. He called on donor countries to do more than make announcements and “earmark the promised aid”. He also denounced the delays in this field and called for enhanced vigilance and the means for achieving the “zero infection” objective. He also said: “We are hoping that major decisions will be made for fresh funding for this 'Marshall Plan' because Ebola has decimated our economies”.
The president of Liberia, supported by the NGO, Oxfam, used this occasion to launch an appeal for donations to support efforts by the Liberian government to set up basic purification installations and water supplies in schools, given that thousands of children are now beginning to go back to school for the first time in six months. The requirements have been evaluated at around $60 million, the amount needed to equip 2,800 of the poorest Liberian schools over the next two years. Johnson-Sirleaf said that “it is clear that the lack of clean water, equipment for washing hands and health facilities are major obstacles preventing our children from changing their habits. This would help improve their long-term health. Investment in health equipment and clean water supplies are essential for helping mitigate the Ebola epidemics and other infectious diseases”.
The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 9,700 people so far and a total of more than 23,500 people have been infected by the virus during the epidemic. The first cases were detected in December 2013. Although the epidemic appears to be regressing, the disease is continuing to spread in some coastal areas of Guinea and Sierra Leone, with cases persisting in remote areas in West African countries. The EU (Commission and member states) has so far committed more than €1.2 billion in assistance, of which €414 million comes from the Commission. At an international level, donations of €4.9 billion have been promised and the amount of spending has now risen to €2.4 billion. As part of the “Horizon 2020” research programme, the Commission has provided more than €414 million in the form of emergency measures, research projects and more long-term support. The recent announcement regarding the first test results demonstrate that a treatment (favipiravir) could prove effective against the Ebola virus and is, as the European institution is pleased to point out, the result of this financial support (see EUROPE 11261). (Isabelle Lamberty)