GENEVA, October 8 (RIA Novosti) - The risk of the spread of Ebola virus in Europe remains low, but imported cases of infection are inevitable, the European director of the World Health Organization (WHO) Zsuzsanna Jakab said Wednesday.
"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," Jakab said. "The most important thing in our view is that Europe is still at low risk and that the western part of the European region particularly is the best prepared in the world to respond to viral hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola."
Health care workers are most exposed to the risk of being infected with Ebola, so they have to receive maximum protection. For this, WHO is ready to provide them will all the necessary assistance, Jakab said.
Meanwhile, the European Commission representative said at a press briefing on Wednesday that the Ebola threat in Europe is under control.
"When risk measures are applied in a hospital environment, the risk remains contained, it is under control. The risk of having an epidemic, such as the one we have in Africa, here in Europe is highly unlikely," EC Spokesman for Health Frederic Vincent said. "We have very strict conditions in place, and when a case is detected, the person involved is put into isolation."
A nurse at a hospital in Madrid tested positive after taking part in the treatment of Spanish priest Manuel García Viejo, who became infected with the Ebola virus, while assisting patients in Sierra Leone and died in a Madrid hospital on September 25. This was the first Ebola case in Europe during the current outbreak.
The European Commission has demanded an explanation from Spain over the first case of Ebola infection in Europe.
The worst Ebola outbreak in history started in February in Guinea and quickly spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Senegal and Nigeria.
According to WHO, the death toll from the Ebola epidemic has surpassed 3,400, with 7,470 infected.
