Kazakhstan provides financial aid to African countries to combat Ebola

Kazakhstan has rendered financial aid to African countries through the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund to combat the deadly Ebola virus, Tengrinews reports citing the press service of Kazakhstan’s Foreign Ministry. The sum of the aid was not specified.

Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Ebola virus David Nabarro appealed to Kazakhstan to provide financial aid. “As a responsible and consistent member-state of the UN, as a reliable partner of the world’s nations that last year was granted the observer status in African Union, Kazakhstan seriously and immediately considered this appeal and supported it, especially since the aid is targeted at the population of the African continent suffering distress,” the Kazakh Foreign Ministry said.

In October’s end, the Government of Kazakhstan transferred funds to the UN Ebola Multi-Partner Trust Fund to finance the UN missions to combat Ebola. This fund was established to support the joint efforts of governments and other partners as well as to mobilize the necessary voluntary contributions to address the problems associated with the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The fund’s main goal is to gather $1 billion until November’s beginning. It is the sum that, according to the World Health Organization, is needed to eliminate the outbreak of the disease.

The deadly Ebola virus was first reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the West African nation of Guinea in March 2014. The disease then rapidly spread to the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone. It is the largest Ebola outbreak ever documented, and the first recorded in the region.

As of October 31, there were a total of 13,567 reported cases in six affected countries Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain and the United States of Amerika, Nigeria and Senegal. The latter two were declared disease-free after a 42 day waiting period. As of October 3, there were 4,922 deaths.

By Assel Satubaldina