The Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA) has an action plan today to confront and prevent the Ebola epidemic, which will allow also to collaborate with affected African countries.

The final declaration of a Special Summit of ALBA depicts the actions to be taken by this regional integration mechanism, in search of coordinating efforts to prevent and confront that disease.

The document unanimously adopted mentions as concern the fact that international resources required to undertake rapid and effective actions to confront the Ebola epidemic keep on being insufficient to face what may be one of the worst pandemics in history.

Another agreement stablish to strongly support voluntary medical brigades specialized in confronting disasters and major epidemics, of the Henry Reeve Contingent of Cuba, which is currently working in African countries.

The regional mechanism should share and generate capacities for the diagnosis of diseases that require laboratories with an adequate bio-security level.

Another agreement will be to design and perform public education campaigns on prevention and response to Ebola, aimed at increasing people preparedness and strengthen confidence.

Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Antigua and Barbuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica and St. Lucia are members of ALBA-TCP, Haiti is a permanent guest to those events, while Grenada and Saint Kitts and Nevis have already asked for their admission to the group, which will be effective during the ordinary summit in December.

The Special Summit closed its session congratulating Venezuela for contributing with $5 million USD, and Cuba, its people, for demonstrating solidarity with the brother countries of West Africa by sending medical staff.