BRUSSELS, November 18 (Sputnik) — The EU Ebola Coordinator Christos Stylianides expressed hope Tuesday that following his visit to West Africa the region's authorities will increase control over passengers, leaving Ebola-affected states.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management and EU Coordinator on Ebola Christos Stylianides and EU Health Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis visited Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea last week in order to view the situation on the ground and work out measures to fight the virus.
"We shall fight this virus on the spot, in the region. We cannot let virus move somewhere else. This is why we [the European Commission] and three governments were discussing introducing control over departures [from the region]. We faced understanding from their side. I think that after our visit, the control will be strengthened eve more," Stylianides said at a press conference.
According to Stylianides, the main priority in the fight against the deadly virus is the mobilization of a larger number of medics, epidemiologists, auxiliary personnel, and mobile laboratories. Stylianides said that the personnel should undergo special training courses, but noted that the precise number of specialists and volunteers needed is not yet known.
"Me and my colleague spent numerous meetings with specialists to be able to identify precise figures and requested this data from our representatives," Stylianides said.
The current outbreak of Ebola was first identified in December, spreading from Guinea to Liberia and Sierra Leone. It has claimed 5,177 lives from 14,413 confirmed, probable and suspected cases, according to the World Health Organization. Spain is the first and only European country with a confirmed case of Ebola transmission outside Africa. The nurse that contracted the disease from a repatriated priest in Madrid was declared Ebola-free earlier in November.
