An electron micrograph image of an Ebola virus virion obtained March 24, 2014 from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia/AFP
WASHINGTON, September 9- The United States will contribute $10 million to pay for medical workers and equipment to fight the deadly Ebola epidemic ravaging West Africa, officials in Washington said on Tuesday.
The latest cash infusion would bring to more than $100 million the funds that the US government has spent trying to combat the outbreak, the US Agency for International Development said.
USAID said the funds will help finance a deployment by the African Union (AU) of doctors, nurses and other medical personnel to Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.
“The US is committed to supporting the African Union’s response to the urgent needs across West Africa as a result of this vicious disease,” said Rajiv Shah, the head of USAID.
“We can and will stop this epidemic, but it will take a coordinated effort by the entire global community,” Shah said.
The funds provided by USAID and the State Department will be used to transport to the affected region a contingent of about 25 doctors and 45 nurses, as well as other medical staff tasked with running Ebola treatment units, where patients are kept in insolation while recovering from the illness.
The current Ebola outbreak is the deadliest the world has ever seen, with Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone hardest hit.
The death toll has topped 2,000, out of nearly 4,000 people infected.
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