EU Says Ebola Risk 'Very Low' as WHO Confirms Spread to Uganda

(MENAFN) The European Union poses minimal danger to its residents from the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Africa — including those traveling to affected zones — an EU Commission spokesperson confirmed Wednesday, even as global health authorities intensify their monitoring efforts.

Eva Hrncirova, speaking at the EU Commission's midday press briefing in Brussels, said the bloc is maintaining rigorous surveillance and stands ready to act swiftly should conditions change.

"At the moment, according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the risk of infection here in the European Union is very low, even for the people who travel to the region," Hrncirova said.

She indicated there is currently "no indication" that Europeans need to adopt any measures beyond standard public health precautions.
Still, Hrncirova underscored the inherently borderless nature of infectious disease: "We know that disease do not stop at the borders, and this is also the case of Ebola ... so this is why we think that the coordination and cooperation with WHO ... with other countries, partners is absolutely essential," she added.

Hrncirova confirmed that the EU's Health Security Committee convened Wednesday to evaluate the outbreak's trajectory and deliberate on whether additional protective steps within Europe are warranted.

The scale of the crisis is significant. As of May 20, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported nearly 600 suspected cases and approximately 139 suspected deaths linked to the outbreak.

Earlier Wednesday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus disclosed to reporters that 33 cases had been laboratory-confirmed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He also revealed that WHO had been notified of two confirmed Ebola cases detected in travelers arriving from the DRC in Kampala, the capital of Uganda — a development signaling potential cross-border transmission.

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