European Union has stepped up efforts to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola Virus Disease in the West Africa subregion, which has been worst hit.

The €8 million support constitutes an additional funding by the EU aimed at containing spread of the epidemic and provide immediate healthcare to affected communities.

“In addition, a second ‘European mobile laboratory’ will be deployed in the coming days, most likely to Liberia, to provide essential support to diagnostics and testing”, said a release from Brussels.

The ’European mobile laboratory’ project builds capacity to bring state-of-the-art technology, diagnostics and highly trained scientists from Europe and Sub-Saharan African countries to the field in case of infectious disease epidemics in Europe and Sub-Saharan African countries.

The first was dispatched to Guinea in April this year.

EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, said "saving lives and providing further support to West Africa is now more than ever an urgent priority.”

The €8 million EU support will be channelled through partner organisations on the ground to cater for the provision of equipment and advice to the ministries of health of affected countries.

It will also be used to deal with coordination and the epidemiological surveillance, support clinical management of cases including the isolation of patients, provide psychosocial support and the tracing of suspected cases, promote community awareness and preventative hygiene measures and provide safe burial of Ebola victims.

Ebola, a viral haemorrhagic fever, is one of the deadliest diseases known to humans, with a fatality rate in this outbreak of between 50% and 60%.

It is spread through contact with the bodily fluids of Ebola of patients showing symptoms.

Global efforts to contain the disease has risen after more than 900 people died as a result of renewed outbreak in March this year.