Utrecht readies int'l ebola treatment center

Four beds are available at the University Medical Center Utrecht for international aid workers who exhibit symptoms of Ebola, as was agreed in the European agreement. No Ebola patients are being treated in the Netherlands at this time. The vast majority of patients are in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, but people are also being treated in Norway, Germany, Spain and the United States of America. The European Union has given the guarantee that aid workers that contracted the disease in West Africa will be repatriated. The Cabinet is exploring possibilities to contribute more to the fight against Ebola. The Netherlands could possibly train customs staff in the affected countries to improve the spreading of emergency aid. Thus far the Netherlands has pledged 30.8 million euro to fight Ebola. Last week the government offered to deploy the new marine vessel, Karel Doorman, for the transport of relief supplies. The UN and the EU have not yet decided whether the ship will be used.