Japan to grant West Africa USD 1.5M to fight Ebola

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TOKYO -– Japan intends to provide USD 1.5 million in financial aid to West African states to help them fight the Ebola epidemic in the region, Kyodo News reported Friday, citing a statement by Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga.

The funds will be distributed through the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent, the official told the press Friday.

Ebola is a deadly virus that can be transmitted through direct contact with the infected’s blood or bodily fluids. The symptoms include weakness, severe muscle pain, headache and sore throat, followed by retching and diarrhea and, in certain cases, external and internal bleeding.

Currently, there is no approved treatment for the virus. However, specialists from the United States, Japan and Canada are working on several possible cures.

On Wednesday, WHO declared it ethical to test the prospective drugs on the infected.

The disease’s fatality rate is close to 90 percent. As of Friday, the current Ebola outbreak has killed 1,069 people mostly in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, while another 1,975 infections have been registered. Earlier, China sent US$ 4.9 million in medical aid, including protective clothes, disinfectants and medicines.