The EU is stepping up aid to help tackle crises on two continents, in Africa and South America.
Aid will go towards the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and towards assistance for Colombia following the devastating 7.4 magnitude earthquake.
On Tuesday, the European Commission said it was procuring diagnostic tests to help respond to the ongoing Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in the DRC.
The tests, worth €2.5 million in total, will be donated to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
The EC will provide €2.5 million worth of rapid molecular point-of-care tests and testing instruments to the Centre, with the first deliveries in August. In parallel, a further agreement in collaboration with the World Health Organization for additional tests is in preparation.
Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said: “This action directly follows my visit to Ituri, where our partners made clear that faster and stronger diagnostic capacity is urgently needed. In an Ebola outbreak, every hour matters.
“These tests will help detect cases earlier, get patients into care sooner, and prevent the virus from spreading further. Europe is turning what we heard on the ground into concrete support, working together with Africa CDC and the WHO,” said the Belgian official.
According to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), the outbreak had recorded 3,381 confirmed cases and 1,489 confirmed deaths in the DRC. In Uganda, there have been 20 confirmed cases and two confirmed deaths.
The Commission has mobilised €493 million in emergency aid, vaccines, treatment and health security in the Great Lakes and Uganda region. The ECDC currently assesses the risk of Ebola to people in Europe as very low.
Meanwhile, the EU is mobilising assistance for quake-hit Colombia.
Sweden has offered 150 tents and 360 blankets, Germany is sending 3,000 kitchen sets and 2,500 water filters, while Luxembourg has offered 79 tents.
The Commission has also deployed a Rapid Response Coordinator to Colombia to support the coordination of EU Civil Protection Mechanism and humanitarian assistance on the ground.
President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Europe’s heart is with the people of Colombia after the devastating earthquake.
“In moments of tragedy, solidarity means action. We are sending tents, water filters, food and other essential supplies to support communities in need. We stand with the Colombian people through this emergency and the recovery ahead.
The civil protection assistance complements the €2.1 million in emergency humanitarian EU funding.
Humanitarian partners are providing health, water, sanitation and hygiene assistance, as well as shelter, food, protection and cash support to affected communities.
EU support was mobilised from the first hours following the earthquake. The Commission activated the Copernicus satellite mapping service to support rescue operations and provide initial damage assessments. The EU’s humanitarian partner, the German Red Cross, also immediately reallocated €100,000 from an EU-funded project to address the immediate needs of 2,500 affected families in Chocó and Valle del Cauca.
