European health ministers took stock on Tuesday 16 June, at their Council of the EU meeting in Luxembourg, of the state of discussions with a view to an international agreement on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, as well as developments in the outbreak of the Bundibugyo Ebola virus in Central Africa, which is currently affecting the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda.
The Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union recalled that it had organised, on 5 June, an informal videoconference of health ministers to exchange information on the latter point (see EUROPE 13882/6).
Representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) had then presented the situation regarding the outbreak and the response measures undertaken. The ministers reaffirmed their support for a co-ordinated European approach, in line with the recommendations of the WHO, the ECDC and the Health Security Committee, notably for exit screening in the countries concerned, and for greater preparedness within the European Union.
According to the European Commissioner for Health and Animal Welfare, Olivér Várhelyi, as of 14 June, 808 confirmed cases, including 181 deaths, had been reported in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Uganda had reported 19 cases and two deaths.
He noted that this spreading of the epidemic was taking place while the region was already facing conflicts and a difficult humanitarian situation, and that no vaccine was currently available against this strain of the Ebola virus.
The European Commissioner also pointed to significant circulation of disinformation surrounding this outbreak. He said that the European Commission was working with its European and international partners to implement the most effective responses on the ground and maintain a high level of preparedness within the European Union.
The Health Security Committee has thus adopted recommendations on surveillance, exit screening and protocols for detecting potential cases. The ECDC nevertheless considers that the risk of infection in the European Union remains “very low”.
For her part, the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Hadja Lahbib, said that this outbreak demonstrated the link and interconnection between preparedness for health crises and humanitarian action. She also recalled that the European Union had transported more than 100 tonnes of equipment, built new treatment facilities, provided protective equipment and deployed ECDC experts. “The most effective way to protect Europeans is to contain this outbreak at its source”, she said.
During the round table, several Member States also called for a co-ordinated response based on the scientific advice of the WHO and the ECDC.
According to the Netherlands, it is essential to involve the WHO closely in the international response, while Belgium considered that “the most appropriate response is a response at source” and called for stronger international co-operation in order to contain epidemic outbreaks. See the G7 statement on the Ebola outbreak: https://aeur.eu/f/mds (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)