|
The EU's new Ebola coordinator Christos Stylianides is to travel to countries in West Africa affected by the deadly Ebola virus, the bloc has announced.
Stylianides, a trained doctor who is to take office as a Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid on November 1, said during a press conference on Monday that he wants to "reaffirm his commitment to the affected countries".
The states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been hardest hit in West Africa by the Ebola outbreak, with more than 1,012 cases being confirmed to date.
Stylianides said the international community had "underestimated" the danger and extent of the threat of Ebola, which threatens nations beyond Africa, and that the speed to fight it must be accelerated.
He said: "The Ebola epidemic is puttıng the entire international community to the test."
"Time is of the essence; the lives of thousands of people in Africa relies on our ability to take action today, not tomorrow."
Evacuation plan
Stylianides said doctors on the ground were needed along with skilled staff able to train volunteers in the region.
He said he would work closely with EU member states to organize an evacuation "if need be".
While mentioning that the European public was "concerned" about the spread of Ebola to Europe, Stylianides stressed the need to "not allow fear to dictate our actions".
European Union leaders agreed last week to spend more than €1 billion in aid on fighting the deadly virus which has killed 4,877 people since the beginning of February.
The decision came amid criticism and warnings from international organizations that the EU's efforts to restrain Ebola have been inadequate and more needed to be done to prevent it spreading.
The EU Commission - the 28-nation bloc's executive body responsible for proposing legislation and implementing regulations - also announced that €24.4 million ($30.8 million) from the EU budget would be devoted to Ebola research.
www.aa.com.tr/en - Brüksel
|
Poem
Manşetler
Spor
Son Dakika
Haber
Yerel Haberler
