The European Union announced Monday that it is seeking $1.27 billion (1 billion euros) in Ebola aid to fight the current outbreak in West Africa. The EU also said that a travel ban stopping flights from West Africa would not be an effective solution.
The EU pledged "to play an active role in enhancing the international response" to the Ebola outbreak, The Associated Press reports. "It's time to act now... if we want to limit the amount of cases to an amount that is controllable," Roberto Bertollini, the World Health Organization representative to the EU, told AP.
The EU's anti-Ebola contributions have, so far, included $640 million, $204 million of which comes from Britain. British Prime Minister David Cameron has called for a two-day summit of the EU's 28 leaders in order to reach the $1.27 billion goal.
The current Ebola outbreak has killed at least 4,500 people, according to estimates from the WHO.