Int'l community enhances anti-Ebola aid to Africa
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E-mail Xinhua, October 31, 2014
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World Bank President Jim Yong Kim ddresses a press conference in Accra on October 30, 2014. Health authorities called on October 30 for renewed vigilance over the Ebola epidemic, urging caution over claims that the outbreak is retreating as the World Bank boosted the global response with $100 million for health workers. [Xinhua photo] |
The World Bank on Thursday announced an additional 100 million dollars of funding in response to the Ebola crisis, so as to speed up deployment of foreign health workers to the three worst-affected countries.
Current estimates by the United Nations indicate that about 5,000 international medical, training and support personnel are needed in the three countries over the coming months to respond to the Ebola outbreak, including 700 to 1,000 foreign health workers to treat patients in the Ebola treatment centers, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing.
"The World Bank's additional financing will help set up a coordination hub in close cooperation with the three countries, the World Health Organization and the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response to recruit, train and deploy qualified foreign health workers," said the spokesman.
The Japanese government has also donated seven ambulances as additional support to the fight against the Ebola virus in Liberia.
The seven ambulances arrived in Liberia on Thursday on board a chartered cargo flight.
The arrival of the ambulances followed an earlier donation of assorted medical items by the Japanese government, which is also donating six ambulances to Sierra Leone.
In New York, one of the largest points of entry to the United States, local authorities said they will create a program of financial incentives and other employment protections to encourage health care professionals to travel to West Africa and provide assistance.
"We believe that public health in West Africa and the public health in New York are interconnected and both must be addressed," New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement.
"The depth of the challenge we face in containing Ebola requires us to meet this test in a comprehensive manner on multiple fronts, and part of that is encouraging and incentivizing medical personnel to go to West Africa," he said.
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