M flower virus alarm in Europe: Be prepared.

The current situation and preparations regarding the M virus were discussed at a meeting hosted by the European Parliament's Committee on Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI) and organized by the European Commission's Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Agency (HERA), the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

The ECDC called on European countries to be prepared to combat the virus, despite the low risk of M virus in Europe, due to the possibility of an increase in "imported cases".

"BE PREPARED"

Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner, Director of the ECDC, stated that the risk of an outbreak in Europe is "low" under current conditions, with the only case in Europe being reported in Sweden on August 15.

However, Rendi-Wagner emphasized the need for preparedness in European countries in case of a potential increase in "imported cases" within the EU, stating, "Therefore, it is crucial for European countries to be prepared to detect infections as quickly as possible in order to prevent further spread within Europe."

"THE REAL SIZE OF THE OUTBREAK CAN BE MUCH LARGER"

Rendi-Wagner highlighted the deficiencies in reporting and diagnosis processes in Africa, stating, "We assume that the real size of the outbreak in Africa could be much larger."

Rendi-Wagner stated that in addition to preparing EU member states for the outbreak, the ECDC is working in the field, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other parts of Africa, to control the outbreak in Africa and prevent its spread to other continents, and to support local health authorities and gather more information about the virus.

"M VIRUS IS NOT A NEW COVID"