MOSCOW, September 30 (RIA Novosti) - China has provided $833,000 worth of equipment and medical supplies to Ghana to help its fight against the Ebola epidemic, in addition to provisions and aid to other suffering West African countries, Xinhua news agency reported.
"We are grateful to China for the leading role it is playing in the fight against Ebola in the sub-region," Deputy Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson, who signed for Ghana, was quoted as saying by the news agency on Monday.
China's aid to Ghana will include Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs), beds and sanitizers among other essential supplies, according to Xinhua. China will also provide $1 million in funds, $2 million worth of grain and food, and trained specialists to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
A mobile and fixed laboratory with corollary testing and security equipment will also be set up in Sierra Leone by China along with prevention and relief materials for Nigeria worth 10 million yuan ($1.6 million) and 5 million yuan worth of supplies each for Mali, Benin, Guinea Bissau and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
China is also providing $2 million each to the African Union and the World Health Organization (WHO) to support their work in combating the deadly epidemic sweeping West Africa.
On September 16, China sent some 59 medical personnel from the Chinese Center for Disease Control to Sierra Leona in response to the WHO's worldwide request for additional assistance in battling the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. On September 24, the Chinese government offered Ebola disease prevention supplies worth $840,000 to Benin in addition to $20,000 to the Benin Red Cross.
The Ebola virus disease is a highly deadly illness transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. Though there is no officially approved medication for the disease, several countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan are working on developing vaccines.
The worst Ebola outbreak in history is currently taking place in West Africa. The epidemic has claimed the lives of over 3,000 people according to the latest WHO estimates. The outbreak began in southern Guinea in February and has since spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal.
