ADDIS ABABA
The Japanese government on Thursday pledged $100 million worth of assistance to Ebola-hit countries in West Africa.
The announcement was made by Japanese Vice Foreign Affairs Minister Takashi Uto, who is currently in Addis Ababa to attend an African Union summit that will kick off on Friday.
According to Takashi, the assistance will be used to rebuild the health systems in affected countries.
Takashi said Japan had made similar pledges to Ebola-affected countries last September.
More than 20,000 people have contracted Ebola in the three hardest-hit West African countries, namely, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
Some 8,795 people have succumbed to the virus in the three countries, according to the World Health Organization. Of these, 1,910 deaths were reported in Guinea.
Ebola, formerly known as Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe – often fatal – illness in humans.
The virus can be transmitted to people from wild animals, but can also spread via human-to-human transmission.
