Israel donates $10 million to UN Ebola fund

Foreign Ministry says move reflects commitment to help fight the deadly African epidemic

By Itamar Sharon 12 December 2014, 9:31 am 0 Edit

Electron micrograph of an Ebola virus virion (photo credit: CDC microbiologist Cynthia Goldsmith/Wikimedia)

Israel on Thursday donated $10 million to the UN’s Ebola aid fund.

Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman decided on the move, with his office saying it “reflects Israel’s commitment to assist African nations dealing with the difficult epidemic.”

Israel has also set up three field hospitals in disease-ridden areas in recent months, and has dispatched health specialists who help treat victims and guide the local population on recommended practices to stop the illness from spreading.

In November, US researchers said an experimental Ebola vaccine appeared safe, as it triggered signs of immune protection in the first 20 volunteers to test it.

Scientists are racing to develop ways to prevent or treat the virus that has killed more than 5,600 people in West Africa, most of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

AP contributed to this report.