An exchange of views with Mrs. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe, about the Ebola crisis
As part of her work in the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety, Member of European Parliament Dubravka Šuica participated in an exchange of views with Mrs. Zsuzsanna Jakab, Regional Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) for Europe, about the crisis related to Ebola. In the exchange, MEP Šuica thanked the WHO for its work and assistance. She believes that it is important not to isolate the countries affected by the disease, rather the Ebola virus. She noted that the European Commission has already invested $ 24 million in research for drugs against Ebola, and that she is aware that for the extermination of disease, about about a billion dollars is needed. Šuica posed the question: "What are the short-term measures in the fight against Ebola?" and concluded that the main priority is to eliminate the source of the disease, rather than preventing the passage of Ebola in Europe. Mrs. Jakab said she agrees that it is crucial to eliminate the source of the disease, which is West Africa, but that for now she does not have control over the area. As a short-term goals, she listed the acceleration of efforts of local disease control, and realization of everything within the plans of the WHO and the UN. It is necessary to open local centers for the elimination of Ebola, and it is important to hire professional staff in affected countries. So far, € 80 million has been invested by the European Union. However, a complete recovery will require a very long time and we think that will last more than a decade.