The Diplomat in Spain

Gabriel Traoré Hospital in Bamako (Mali)./ Photo: AECID.

Eduardo González. Madrid.

The Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and Development (AECID in Spanish) has become involved in the regional strategy to interrupt the transmission and stop the spread of the Ebola virus in Guinea-Conakry, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Spain has been following “closely the state of the epidemic from the start” through their embassies and cooperation offices in the areas, the diplomatic antenna in Monrovia, AECID’s Office of Humanitarian Action and other Spanish public organizations, according to a communique issued by the agency. To date, Spanish cooperation has approved, through AECID, “the support for intervention to a value of more than 500.000 euros, which are managed by different organizations”, they added.

Spain has specifically contributed 100,000 euros to the World Health Organization (WHO), which coordinates international action in this humanitarian crisis, in order to reinforce local strategies to alleviate the effects of the virus.  In addition, in Guinea-Conakry, where the NGO Action against Hunger functions, the contribution has been of 50.000 euros, earmarked for follow-up on cases, support for the families and raising of awareness in the communities in order to break the chain of transmission.

In Liberia, AECID and the Spanish Department of Health have sent an aerial shipment, coordinated by the NGO Farmamundi. It consisted of two complete sets of medical equipment, protection, disinfection and rehydration materials and specific medicines to help in the fight against Ebola, for a value of 155,000 euros. The Juan Ciudad Foundation and the Brothers Hospitallers of St. John of God in Monrovia will be the final destination of this shipment, with the hope of supporting the reopening of the hospital, which has been closed since 1 August. In addition, the AECID has authorised a contribution of 45,000 euros to the NGO Save The Children, to finance a campaign against the disease in this country.

In Sierra Leone, the Humanitarian Action Office has confirmed its financial support, for a value of 150,000 euros to the Spanish Red Cross in order to aid with the sending of an Emergency Response Unit to the area where they are already operating with a 12 man field hospital (4 medics and experts in water, sanitation and logistics). In addition, Médecins du Monde are carrying out a programme of access to health, and they are mobilising to contribute to the response to Ebola.

On the other hand, Spanish authorities are vigilant in Nigeria, and other countries of the regions, so that should help be required the response can be as rapid as possible. According to official government figures, to date, 15 deaths have been registered in Nigeria, the great majority in Lagos, the economic capital of the country.

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More than 1,500 dead in the worst Ebola epidemic in history

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Last March, Guinea’s Ministry of Heath notified the WHO of the rapid evolution of an Ebola epidemic, whose first cases had been registered in the jungle region, and that had subsequently spread to the capital, Conakry, and to neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone. The three principal areas of transmission are rural communities, urban and near-urban areas (especially Conakry and Monrovia) and the border zones of the three countries. The WHO has declared a public health emergency of international concern.

Although officially it has affected close to 3,000 people, the WHO’s latest “route map” warns that the number of those infected could rise to 20.000. To date, the epidemic has caused 1,552 dead, with an average mortality rate of 52%. It is the most lethal Ebola epidemic since the discovery of the disease in 1976, and has nearly caused more deaths than all the earlier ones combined.  The WHO has estimated that at least 490 million dollars will be needed in the next months in order to contain the epidemic.