• Submitted by: Alejandra Casanova
• Politics and Government
• 10 / 21 / 2014

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Presidents of the member countries of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America- People´s Trade Agreement (ALBA-TCP) met in an Extraordinary Summit that took place yesterday in Havana, capital of Cuba, with the aim of reaching agreements to face Ebola.

The current outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has been regarded as one of the deadliest in history. Nicolás Maduro, president of Venezuela, a nation that currently governs the Alliance, emphasized on the need to find the structural cause of the problem.

ALBA-TCP, as a group of coordinated cooperation, agreed to prevent the epidemic from spreading to the hemisphere of Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as to collaborate with other affected nations.

During the meeting, Venezuela was congratulated for its five million dollars donation that was given to the President of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon. The Republic of Cuba also was congratulated for sending doctors to the affected continent. In this respect, Michel Martelly, President of the Republic of Haiti, endorsed the methods of the Cuban medical force, after the experience in his country with the cholera epidemic.

Among the agreements of the countries of ALBA-TCP were: to coordinate efforts to prevent and to face the epidemic of Ebola, including assistance with health workers, supplies and materials; to establish national mechanisms to quick diagnose and isolate cases of infection; to design and to implement public education campaigns on prevention and response to Ebola; to strengthen preventive measures; to strengthen epidemiological surveillance in borders, particularly in ports and airports; to contribute to the training of specialized personnel in the prevention and confrontation with Ebola in the countries of the ALBA-TCP and the Caribbean, based on past experience; to convened on October 29 and 30, in Havana, Cuba, a technical meeting of experts and managers of the ALBA-TCP countries to exchange experiences and knowledge.

One of the most significant agreements was to instruct the Health Ministers of the respective countries the development of an Action Plan, as proposed by the technical meeting of experts and managers. The quick application of that Action Plan will be in coordination with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The Plan shall be submitted by consideration of the Heads of State and Government of the ALBA-TCP before November 5, 2014.