Update 15/01/16: A new case of Ebola has been discovered in Sierra Leone, hours after the WHO declared West Africa Ebola free. This is a tragic reminder of the WHO expectation that flare ups are likely to occur. The strengthening of health systems ONE has urged during the outbreak and since cannot wait.

14 JANUARY 2016 – Today the WHO declared the end of the most recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia and says all known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa.

The ONE Campaign responds to this declaration:

Michael Elliott, President and CEO of The ONE Campaign, said:

“Nearly two years since the outbreak began, we are delighted that Liberia and West Africa are now officially certified free of Ebola transmission. This is a hard-earned, but difficult, milestone given the unnecessary loss of so many lives to this disease.  We honour the heroism of the many health workers, community leaders, and volunteers from around the world who risked their own lives to bring this outbreak to a close.  We are also proud that hundreds of thousands of our ONE members, from Los Angeles to Lagos, took action in support of an urgent global response.

 “But we need to remember: the world’s initial response to the Ebola outbreak was woeful – haphazard, uncoordinated, and desperately lacking leadership. That is why today must not be the end of our commitment to West Africa and its citizens—particularly those who survived Ebola or who lost loved ones.  The outbreak served as a stark reminder of how important resilient health systems are and why delayed action allows infectious diseases to flourish.

 “ONE’s Ebola Response Tracker also highlighted the importance of using data to hold donors to account for their commitments. Even as Ebola fades from the headlines, donors must deliver on their emergency and recovery commitments in full to ensure that Ebola-affected nations can make up for lost ground and make progress in global health. And we must look to future opportunities, from the Global Fund’s 2016 replenishment to annual budget fights, as chances to make good on our promise. It is crucial we learn lessons from the Ebola crisis and strengthen health systems across all developing countries, so we can be ready the next time Ebola, or another disease, breaks out.”

Tamira Gunzburg, Director of The ONE Campaign Brussels Office, said:

“The European Union and its Member States reacted to the Ebola outbreak with over €1.9 billion in financial assistance and through humanitarian aid, technical expertise and longer-term development assistance. With the EU’s budgets stretched to their limits due to the unexpected influx of refugees, we cannot afford another crisis like Ebola unless their margins are reviewed and more flexibility is built in. Meanwhile, the best way to prevent that is to invest long term in global health. An ambitious pledge to the Global Fund this year would be the smart move for the European Commission.”

 

 

***ENDS***

 

Notes to editors:

• Contact, information & interviews – Andrea Ghianda // [email protected] // +32 (0)2 300 89 42 // +32 (0)471 89 64 22
• ONE launched an Ebola Response tracker to monitor donor commitments. Read more
• WHO officially announced Liberia as free from Ebola transmission. Read more
• The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a 21st-century partnership organization designed to accelerate the end of AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics. Founded in 2002, the Global Fund is a partnership between governments, civil society, the private sector and people affected by the diseases. The Global Fund raises and invests nearly US$4 billion a year to support programs run by local experts in countries and communities most in need. Read more
• ABOUT ONE: ONE is a campaigning and advocacy organisation of nearly 7 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa. Not politically partisan, we raise public awareness and press political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programmes. Read more.

 Useful data:

• The financial contribution of the EU to fight the epidemic amounts to over €1.9 billion, including funding from the Member States. The European Commission has allocated close to €870 million for emergency measures and longer-term support. Source: European Commission
• In addition to existing development partnerships, the European Commission is providing €660 million in development and early recovery assistance to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone to reinforce the capacity of governments to deliver vital public services and facilitate a smooth transition to recovery. Source: European Commission
• An Ebola research programme was launched by the EU in Autumn 2014 with a total budget of nearly €240m. This included €138.4m from Horizon 2020 and €101m from the pharmaceutical industry, and tackled a wide range of challenges including vaccine development, diagnostic tests and treatments. Source: European Commission
• Affected countries: Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia.
• Number of suspected, probable and confirmed cases: 28.600 (As of December 2015 – Source: World Health Organisation)
• Number of deaths: 11.300 (As of December 2015 – Source: World Health Organisation)