The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has called for EU health ministries to be extra vigilant and “continue strengthening their preparedness” for the possible spread of the Ebola virus after the first confirmed case in Europe.
France confirmed this week the first case of Ebola in the EU after a doctor returning to France from a humanitarian mission in eastern DR Congo, which is the epicentre of the outbreak, tested positive.
The ECDC said in a statement on Thursday (25 June) that “the risk of sustained transmission within the EU/EEA is very low provided that effective measures for early detection, isolation and treatment of patients are in place.”
The World Health Organisation and Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched a six-month programme in early June to raise $518m [€455.3m] to support national health systems across Africa.
The programme will focus on “emergency coordination, disease surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, clinical care, community engagement, research, logistics and support for essential health services,” the WHO and Africa CDC said in a joint statement.
