EU scales up Ebola response with planes, material aid

he European Union and its member states here on Thursday pledged more than 1 billion euros (about 1.25 billion U.S. dollars) in response to the Ebola crisis in west Africa.
This means the bloc "has already gone beyond the target set by the European Council on Oct. 24 for 1 billion euros in assistance to stem the epidemic," said an European Commission statement.
The announcement came before a visit by the EU's Ebola Coordinator and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides and the Commissioner for Health Vytenis Andriukaitis to Ebola-affected countries in west Africa.
The European Commission, together with the European pharmaceutical industry, is launching a 280 million euros call for proposals to boost research on Ebola. This will help address the current epidemic and manage future outbreaks, the statement said.
The EU is beginning its biggest, single operation of transporting material assistance to the affected countries.
A Dutch ship sailed Thursday from the Netherlands, loaded with ambulances, mobile hospitals, laboratories and other equipment. The cargo had been provided by nine member states and UNICEF.
Luxembourg became the first EU member state to commit airplanes for European medical evacuation operations of international humanitarian workers diagnosed with Ebola.