The EU has today announced €140 million of development funding for the countries currently affected by the Ebola virus in West Africa: Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria. The funding will be split for strengthening healthcare systems, providing mobile laboratories and to reinforce governments’ capacity to deliver public services in Liberia and Sierra Leone.
Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said: "The situation is going from bad to worse, despite the brave efforts of humanitarian organisations and despite early and substantial assistance provided by the international community, including the EU. We are helping make a difference on the ground, but the needs are outpacing the international community's capacity to react. We need to pool our efforts and provide adequate air transportation and medical equipment to our partners in order to fight this menace."
The European Commission is actively following the developments in the affected countries through its experts on the ground, who undertake the assessment and coordinate with the health authorities and humanitarian partners on the ground.
Background
The Ebola epidemic is taking a devastating toll in the four affected countries, Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. To date, the outbreak has seen 3 707 cases and 1 848 deaths, including many health workers. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), this is the largest recorded outbreak in terms of cases, deaths and geographical coverage.
The European Commission has been scaling up its response to the epidemic since March 2014 and has pledged a total of €11.9 million in humanitarian aid. The funding has enabled WHO, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to sustain and expand their actions.
