TOKYO, November 7 (RIA Novosti) – Japan is going to allocate an additional $100 million to help fight the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Friday.
"The funds will be used not only for the treatment and prevention of the disease, but also to help establish social stability in countries that have suffered from the epidemic," Suga said at a press conference.
According to the cabinet secretary, the funds will come on top of the $40 million announced by Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in September.
Japan is now on heightened alert over the Ebola outbreak, with a mandatory survey imposed at all of its 30 international airports. The survey, conducted by health authorities, contains questions about travelers' recent journeys to West Africa and is being introduced for all visitors to the country.
The current Ebola outbreak started in southern Guinea around the end of 2013 and later spread to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, and Senegal, with several Ebola cases having been reported in the United States and Europe.
Ebola is transmitted through direct contact with the bodily fluids of those infected. At the moment, there is no officially approved medication for the disease. However, several countries, including Russia, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Japan are currently working on Ebola vaccines.
