International aid adds $3.4 billion to Ebola "epidemic" countries

At the United Nations International Conference on Ebola epidemic held in New York (USA), international donors pledged 3.4 billion USD in aid to help 3 West African countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone deal with the consequences of the Ebola epidemic.

The United Nations international conference on Ebola epidemic took place in New York. (Source: THX/TTXVN)

With these latest commitments, the total aid that the international community has provided for Ebola prevention and recovery programs has reached 5.18 billion USD.

The aid will help countries hit by the outbreak rebuild their battered health systems, reopen schools, support agriculture and restore government operations, said Helen Clark, head of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Among these new aid packages, the European Union (EU) contributed the most with 450 million USD, followed by the UK with 372 million USD, the US with 266 million USD, Germany with 220 million USD and China with 5 million USD.

Earlier, the leaders of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone announced a recovery plan from the Ebola epidemic, calling for up to $8 billion in aid to help rebuild their economies and build health systems to prevent future outbreaks.

The World Bank (WB) said three West African countries need nearly $700 million more to complete their goal of raising $2 billion to rebuild their health systems.

In terms of human resources, to be able to build a health system according to the standards set out in the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), these countries need more than 43,500 health workers.

Regarding the Ebola epidemic, the Liberian government confirmed two more deaths on the same day, bringing the total number of new infections to five in over a week.

According to a VNA correspondent in Africa, the Liberian Disease Control Agency said that more than 120 people suspected of being infected with Ebola are currently being monitored for effective treatment methods. Among these, 11 cases are at the highest risk of being infected with Ebola.

In addition, there are currently 7 patients receiving special care at treatment facilities, of which 4 cases have tested "positive" for Ebola virus and 3 suspected cases are being closely monitored.

The Ebola epidemic broke out in southern Guinea in December 2013, then spread rapidly to Liberia and Sierra Leone.

According to the latest report from WHO, the number of deaths due to Ebola virus infection to date is more than 11,200 people, of which more than 4,800 cases were recorded in Liberia./.

According to VIETNAM+