Dr. Erika Vlieghe was appointed today by Health Minister Maggie De Block as national Ebola coordinator. Vlieghe works as a senior clinical staff member and researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp (ITM). She also heads the Unit of Tropical Diseases at the Antwerp University Hospital (UZA) which is run jointly with ITM.

As national Ebola coordinator, Dr. Vlieghe will advise the Minister of Health. She will lead the national Ebola coordination team and assist them medically and scientifically. She will also be responsible for the overall approach and will coordinate the flow of information to professionals and the general public.

ITM is proud to hear that one of its experts has been entrusted with this important mission. As a reference center for tropical and infectious diseases, the institute confirms that national coordination is crucial to guarantee an efficient response by all the different actors.

In addition, the institute will be able to carry out Ebola diagnoses in its own laboratories starting next week. This means that blood samples no longer have to be sent abroad.

ITM is not only active in Belgium but also supports Ebola control in West Africa by sending experts into the field and carrying out research into treatments that can be deployed on the short term.