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WHO warns Europe to expect more Ebola cases
The World Health Organisation's regional director says that future Ebola cases in Europe are "unavoidable" but that Europe is well-equipped to deal with the deadly virus
Europe will almost definitely see more cases of Ebola in the future, the World Health Organisation’s regional director said on Tuesday.
“Such imported cases and similar events as have happened in Spain will happen also in the future, most likely,” Zsuzsanna Jakab told Reuters. “It is quite unavoidable…that such incidents will happen in the future because of the extensive travel both from Europe to the affected countries and the other way around.”
These comments follow the announcement that a Spanish nurse, Teresa Romero, has contracted Ebola, making this the first confirmed case of infection by the deadly virus in Europe.
The nurse contracted the illness while treating a Spanish missionary who was infected in Sierra Leone and flown to Madrid’s Carlos III hospital, where he died on 25 September, Spain’s Health Ministry said.
The priest, Manuel García Viejo, died three days after being flown back to Spain, and the nurse entered his room only twice, including once after his death, according to health officials.
However, Jakab said that Europe is well-prepared to deal with any future cases.
“Europe is still at low risk and the western part of the European region particularly is the best prepared in the world to respond to viral hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola,” Jakab said.
Meanwhile, Spain has quarantined four people have been quarantined after Romero contracted the disease. Romero herself, her husband, a health worker and a Spaniard who travelled to Nigeria have all been placed in isolation as a precautionary measure.
Several European counties including Spain, Britain, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and Norway have all treated repatriated patients who contracted the disease in West Africa.
Ebola has infected some 7,200 people in West Africa and killed over 3,400 since its most recent outbreak in March, its deadliest in recorded history. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia have been the worst-hit. Cases have also been confirmed in Nigeria, Senegal and the United States.
