EU: Commissioner Stylianides to coordinate fight against Ebola

EU leaders have named new Cypriot EU Commissioner Christos Stylianides to coordinate the bloc’s fight against Ebola.

Stylianides, who will serve as the EU Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, was named EU coordinator for fight against Ebola by the European Council, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy said in a tweeted message on Thursday.

Ebola death toll rises to almost 4,900

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the world's deadliest to date and the World Health Organization has declared an international health emergency as more than 4,900 people have died of the virus in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria this year.

The number of people with Ebola is almost to hit 10,000 in West Africa, the World Health Organisation said, as the scramble to find a cure gathered pace.

Ebola is a viral illness of which the initial symptoms can include a sudden fever, intense weakness, muscle pain and a sore throat, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). And that is just the beginning: subsequent stages are vomiting, diarrhoea and – in some cases – both internal and external bleeding.

The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope.
It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

Even funerals of Ebola victims can be a risk, if mourners have direct contact with the body of the deceased. No specific treatment for the disease is yet available.