The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, noted for its global philanthropy especially in Africa, has pledged $50 million to fight the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Liberia and Sierra Leone have been the most Ebola-ravaged nations but recently an American, Patrick Sawyer, shipped the dreaded disease into Nigeria
The foundation announced the pledge Wednesday and said it would disburse the funds to United Nations agencies and other international organizations working on containing the virus in West Africa, to enable them purchase medical supplies and improve the emergency response in affected countries. The Gates Foundation also said it will provide funding to public and public medical firms that are actively researching new vaccines, treatments and technologies to fight Ebola.
“We are working urgently with our partners to identify the most effective ways to help them save lives now and stop transmission of this deadly disease,” Sue Desmond-Hellmann, the Foundation’s chief executive officer, said in a statement.
The foundation will give $5 million to the UN’s World Health Organization, $5 million to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF and $2 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Ebola outbreak, which began in March, has so far infected more than 4,300 people, killing more than half of them. The highest number of casualties has been recorded mostly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, but the virus has also spread to Senegal and Nigeria.
Among the West African countries, Nigeria is best rated as the country with the highest probability of eliminating the disease. The response of the Nigerian government has been applauded both by Nigerians and the international community as the best possible and most pragmatic way to treat a health emergency.
