Brussels, 10/03/2016 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner Jonathan Hill (Financial Services and Capital Markets) has sought to reassure the MEPs over the flare-up of the Zika virus. In response to an oral question at the plenary session of the European Parliament on Thursday 10 March, he gave a list of actions launched by the European Commission since the epidemic first broke out, in April 2015.
“In spring and summer, mosquitoes are a huge risk. We are ready to face the challenge and to make use of all instruments at our disposal”, the Commissioner said, speaking on behalf of the European Commission.
The Zika virus, which is spread by mosquito bites (Aedes aegypti), is suspected of causing abnormalities in foetuses carried by pregnant women who have been infected and of causing Guillain-Barré Syndrome. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared it a “global-scale public health emergency”. At the moment, no patients in Europe have so far been contaminated, although ten member states have reported imported cases. “I wonder whether Europe is going to wait to be affected by Zika before it reacts. Europe needs to do its bit to fight this epidemic”, German MEP Martin Hausling told the plenary session, on behalf of the Greens/EFA group.
The oral question, which had the support of all political groups (including the Europe of Nations and Freedom group), asks the Commission about its actions and, in particular, its financial contribution and the need to step up disinfection measures on boats and aeroplanes from affected areas.
During his speech, Commissioner Hill said that the European Union was actively working on this issue, particularly by means of the Committee on Health Security, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA). He said that the €10 million which will be the subject of a call for expressions of interest on 15 March would be added to by “€40 million for the development of vaccines and €10 million for research infrastructures for the control of vector-borne diseases, under Horizon 2020”. On the disinfection of means of transport, he said that the EU had “given the member states specific advice in the light of the report by the ECDC”. In response to a contribution in favour of the sterilisation of mosquitoes, he said that this practice was still in its research stage and that it was one of the options on the table. (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)