New! Sign up for our free email newsletter.
Science News
from research organizations

Leading health experts urge European governments to 'mobilize all possible resources' to fight Ebola epidemic

Date:
September 25, 2014
Source:
The Lancet
Summary:
Leading health experts urge EU Member States to “mobilize all possible resources” to assist West Africans in controlling the Ebola epidemic. They call for European countries to take specific measures, including allowing health professionals to volunteer for temporary leave to assist with the crisis, and incentivising private companies to reverse travel restrictions to affected regions.
Share:
FULL STORY

Leading health experts urge EU Member States to "mobilise all possible resources" to assist West Africans in controlling the Ebola epidemic, in an open letter published in The Lancet.

The letter is signed by 44 prominent academics, clinicians, and health professionals from 16 European countries. They call for European countries to take specific measures, including allowing health professionals to volunteer for temporary leave to assist with the crisis, and incentivising private companies to reverse travel restrictions to affected regions.

"We call on our governments to take an active and dedicated role, in partnership with west African countries and the UN, to ensure that the response over the next months is managed transparently and effectively, and in ways that support complementary goals for human and economic development in the region," say the authors, pointing out that Europe's strategic approach to its response to the epidemic is as just as important as its financial and material commitment.

The authors add that European countries should ensure that aid is channelled to organizations already on the ground, particularly those led or primarily staffed by West Africans. These groups have the strongest community roots and can best engage local populations in control efforts, say the authors. At the same time, international donations need to support, rather than replace, local economies and social systems, donations need to be accountable, and affected populations need to benefit from their contributions to research.

According to the letter, "Since Ban Ki-moon entreated the international community to help on Sept 5, 2014, several countries have stepped forward with donations, equipment, and personnel. This global response is long overdue, but we fully expect all our European democracies (predicated on principles of solidarity, equity, and social protections) to make up for lost time with celerity, determination, and commitment. The Ebola epidemic represents a public health imperative; unchecked, it might very well become a geopolitical crisis."


Story Source:

Materials provided by The Lancet. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Jose M Martin-Moreno, Walter Ricciardi, Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic, Peggy Maguire, Martin McKee. Ebola: an open letter to European governments. The Lancet, 2014; DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(14)61611-1

Cite This Page:

The Lancet. "Leading health experts urge European governments to 'mobilize all possible resources' to fight Ebola epidemic." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 25 September 2014. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925205753.htm>.
The Lancet. (2014, September 25). Leading health experts urge European governments to 'mobilize all possible resources' to fight Ebola epidemic. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 18, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925205753.htm
The Lancet. "Leading health experts urge European governments to 'mobilize all possible resources' to fight Ebola epidemic." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/09/140925205753.htm (accessed March 18, 2024).

Explore More

from ScienceDaily

RELATED STORIES