The United Nation’s secretary General Ban Ki- Moon recently said that more is needed to be done in order to fight the deadly Ebola outbreak that is ravaging the Western African nations of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone since at least February. “We need urgent global response” Mr. Moon said at a recent press conference about the Ebola outbreak.
The United Nations said that the organization would need an estimated $1 billion in order to help effectively combat Ebola in Western Africa. Since the announcement by Mr. Moon, only $100,000 has actually been donated and that was donated by the South American country of Colombia.
However, despite that lack of funding to the UN’s official Ebola crisis operation, there have been countries who have stepped up to help fight the outbreak in West Africa. In particular, the United States, the United Kingdom and France have been the major nations who have stepped up to help prevent the spreading of Ebola in the West African Nations.
The United States, in particular, has pledged to donate $142 million in financial aid the country’s most affected by the outbreak. In addition, the United States has also pledged 4,000 U.S military personnel to the areas affected. A majority of these troops will be sent to Liberia to help build up the countries’ fledgling medical facilities and to provide other humanitarian efforts.
While the United States has been focusing on Liberia, the United Kingdom has been sending aid to Sierra Leone, and France has been sending assistance to Guinea. Despite the response from the major Western powers, President Obama and Prime Minister David Cameroon both agree that there needs a much bigger response from other major powers.
“This should not about wrangling and waiting to see who will give what first. Do not stand by thinking because of what we, the United States have done, it’s taken care of it’s not”. President Obama said.
U.K Prime Minister David Cameroon echoed the same feelings at the European- Asia summit in Milan Italy. “This is the biggest health problem facing our world in a generation. It’s very likely to affect a number of countries that are here today. Britain in my view has been leading the way, we are doing a huge amount and I think it’s time for other countries to look at their responsibilities and their resources and act in a similar way.”
Britain has pledged to donate $125 million pounds to the fight the outbreak along with sending members of the military and their NHS (National Health Service) to help provide assistance in Sierra Leone. An estimated 4,500 people have died of the disease since the beginning of the outbreak in February, a majority of those deaths occurring in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
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