EU Disease Center Sends Experts to Nigeria, Ebola Cases Exceed 10,000 in Congo

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has dispatched a team of experts to provide technical support and consultation to Nigeria following the spread of the Ebola outbreak to Kenya and Nigeria. Meanwhile, the number of cases at the epicenter in the Democratic Republic of Congo has exceeded the 10,000 mark.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) took action following the spread of the Ebola virus in Africa and reports of cases in Kenya and Nigeria, sending an expert delegation to Nigeria this week. Led by a senior expert in epidemic intelligence, the team has been deployed to Nigeria, the fourth African country to report an Ebola case. The experts, tasked with providing consultation and technical support to the EU Delegation in Abuja, are assisting local authorities in areas such as disease surveillance, contact tracing, infection prevention and control, and preparedness and response.

The outbreak, which began in Congo in May, has spread to Kenya, Uganda, and Nigeria. While cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo have exceeded 10,000, in Kenya, which reported its first-ever Ebola case on October 6, eight people who had contact with confirmed cases showed symptoms as of Monday, and tests returned positive. According to United Nations data, these patients were immediately transferred to the Ebola treatment center in Nairobi. According to an assessment conducted by the ECDC, the risk of infection for Europeans remains at a very low level.