ECDC Director Dr. Pamela Rendi-Wagner and Dr. Jean Kaseya, the Director-General of the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, met and agreed on the details of professional and personnel collaboration.
The European Center will immediately deploy an expert from the EU Health Task Force to Africa CDC’s headquarters to support coordination and operational planning.
It is in discussions with the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network regarding the possible deployment of additional experts as the situation evolves.
As of 16 May, 246 suspected Ebola cases and 80 suspected Ebola deaths have been reported in at least 3 health zones in Congo’s Ituri province. Two persons with Ebola who recently traveled to the Congo have been reported in Uganda.
On May 17, the World Health Organization declared the Ebola outbreak in Congo and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. While the situation is serious, it doesn’t currently meet the WHO’s criteria for a pandemic emergency.
