The European Commission has agreed to buy €2.1 million worth of PCR diagnostic tests for the World Health Organization to help respond to the Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, with deliveries due to start in August.
The tests will be donated to the WHO Hub for Global Health Emergencies Logistics in Dubai, which will organise distribution, the Commission announced on Monday.
PCR — short for polymerase chain reaction — is a laboratory method used to detect genetic material from a virus and is commonly used to confirm infections.
The Commission said the deal follows an earlier agreement this week to procure €2.5 million worth of rapid molecular point-of-care tests and testing instruments for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.
Commissioner for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib said the Commission was acting “with €4.6 million in diagnostic tests and close cooperation with the WHO and Africa CDC”, adding: “In an outbreak every day counts.”
Wider support in the region
The Commission said it has mobilised €493 million in emergency aid, vaccines, treatment and health security in the Great Lakes and Uganda region.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control currently assesses the risk of Ebola to people in Europe as “very low.”
