As the Union World Conference in Barcelona approaches, many Union members and other conference attendees are curious to know if and how the Ebola epidemic in West Africa will impact the conference. As it pertains to the conference, the Union is responding in two ways.
First, as the conference will be convening members of the global health community from dozens of countries around the world, many will come wanting to know the status of the epidemic response and how they can contribute. For this reason The Union will hold a side session on Ebola on Thursday, 30 October, 6:45-7:45 pm in Room 111 at the conference venue. The meeting will feature a briefing on Ebola and the status of the epidemic in West Africa, followed by discussion.
Second, an Ebola preparedness and response plan will be in place throughout the conference. While the risk that any conference participant will have Ebola is extremely low, as a public health organisation we understand how necessary it is to ensure the health and safety of all participants in any event. In putting this plan in place, The Union is coordinating with the health authorities of the City of Barcelona. All conference participants will receive information on the preparedness plan when they register or pick up their conference badge, and we will be updating the conference website so that participants and the public may stay informed about The Union’s preparedness and response activities.