China announces additional $82 mn Ebola aid
October 30, 2014, 4:43 am

More than 4,500 people have died from Ebola, most in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia [Xinhua]

This is in addition to the aid send earlier by the Chinese government of about $40 million, including a $6 million donation to the UN’s World Food Programme in the Ebola-affected countries.

Wednesday’s announcement marks the fourth and largest round of aid to come from Beijing. It also includes additional aid supplies and medical experts to the affected regions, and a medical staff of 160 workers, who will help build a treatment center in Liberia.

Earlier this week, the US White House press secretary Josh Earnest had made condescending remarks that the attempts of Russia and China to fight the deadly Ebola disease fade in comparison with US efforts.

“When we have a situation like this on the global scene, people aren’t wondering what the Chinese are doing to respond to it. People aren’t picking up the phone and wondering if Vladimir Putin is going to commit Russian resources to this effort. People want to know what the United States of America is doing about it. And what this President has done is stepped up and showed the kind of American leadership that makes the American people proud,” Earnest said Monday at a press briefing.

The US had announced $175 million in aid for Ebola-hit countries.

China, however, has responded swiftly to the need for trained medical personnel in these West African countries where the existing health infrastructure has been severely strained by the outbreak.

In August, it dispatched three teams of infectious disease experts to assist local medical professionals. In September, a 59-member Chinese laboratory team departed for Sierra Leone to help the country improve lab testing capacity, joining the 115 Chinese medical staff that were already on the ground.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has lauded China’s role in aiding the fight against Ebola, calling it “a huge boost, morally and operationally.”

Meanwhile, the UN has urged Chinese billionaires and its corporate sector to step up efforts to fight the worst recorded Ebola outbreak in history.

More than 4,500 people have died from Ebola, most in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.

TBP and Agencies