European Union (EU) Health Ministers will meet by videoconference on Friday (5) to discuss additional preparedness and coordination measures related to the Ebola virus.
The extraordinary meeting was convened by the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, currently held by Cyprus. An official source stated that the meeting aims to “address the recent Ebola outbreak in Central Africa and discuss additional preparedness and coordination measures among Member States.”
An additional exchange of views is also scheduled during the next regular meeting of EU Health Ministers on June 16, where a coordinated course of action is expected to be decided.
Last week, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control strengthened its support in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda due to the worsening Ebola outbreak but assessed the risk to the European population as very low.
An official source from the Cypriot Presidency said that Cyprus has “closely monitored the Ebola situation from the beginning and has been planning its actions accordingly.”
Cyprus has also decided to activate the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) arrangements in monitoring mode “to support information exchange on the Ebola outbreak as a precautionary measure,” according to information released in Brussels. This decision does not constitute a formal activation of the mechanism but serves as a means of facilitating information sharing.
Ebola, which has caused more than 15,000 deaths in Africa over the past 50 years, is less contagious than COVID-19 or measles
The Integrated Political Crisis Response mechanism is an EU tool that facilitates political coordination among Member States during crises, such as disease outbreaks, attacks, or other major emergencies. It functions as a platform for rapid information sharing, joint situation assessment, and support for coordinated decision-making at the European level. It can be activated at different levels—such as the current monitoring mode—depending on the severity of the crisis, enabling a more consistent and efficient response across EU countries.
Ebola is a severe and often fatal viral disease affecting humans and some animals. It is transmitted primarily through direct contact with bodily fluids of infected individuals or contaminated materials. Outbreaks have occurred mainly in Central and West African countries, where health systems may be more fragile, making it harder to contain the spread quickly.
The public health agency of the African Union (AU) reported on Thursday 246 suspected deaths and 1,077 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as a result of the country’s 17th Ebola epidemic since the virus was first detected in 1976.
On the same occasion, the AU announced that a vaccine against the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola will be available this year.
The virus has also spread to neighboring Uganda, where six new cases were detected, bringing the total number of infections in the current outbreak to 15.
The DRC is regularly affected by Ebola outbreaks and epidemics. The virus is transmitted through direct contact with blood or other bodily fluids of infected people or animals and causes severe hemorrhagic fever, muscle pain, weakness, headaches, sore throat, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and internal bleeding.
Ebola, which has caused more than 15,000 deaths in Africa over the past 50 years, is less contagious than COVID-19 or measles.
