Japan to extend $8.5m to combat Ebola virus

Japan will extend emergency grant aid of USD 8.5 million in response to the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West African countries, the Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.
The aid will be provided through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the ministry said, adding the money will be used for delivering 700,000 sets of protective gear to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Mali, and providing the technical support to medical staff in the affected countries.
Earlier this month, upon the request from the three nations, Japan dispatched the first 20,000 sets of protective suits by Air Self-Defense Force aircraft to Ghana, where the headquarters of the United Nations Mission (UNMEER) for Ebola Emergency Response is based.
In addition, as part of Japan's contribution of human resources, the ministry will send an official with a medical license to the UNMEER until the end of February.
The official will be working as a senior adviser on Ebola to the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, the ministry said. Furthermore, Japan decided to newly send a medical expert, the 11th dispatch in its kind, to Sierra Leone via the WHO for one month from next week.
"The Japanese government will continue to provide seamless support in order to stem the epidemic," the ministry added.
The Ebola virus disease, which was initially reported in Guinea in March, has spread to neighboring countries. According to the WHO, 17,145 infected persons had been confirmed with 6,070 reported deaths as of Dec. 3.