Ebola: Bill & Melinda Gates to Donate $50 Million to West Africa

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is donating $50 million (about N8 billion) to West Africa to assist in the fight against Ebola.

The foundation will be making the donation via the United Nations and other international organizations working to stop the outbreak, International Business Times reports. A part of the funds will also go towards funding medical firms that are researching treatments, technologies, and vaccines for the disease.

Sue Desmond-Hellmann, CEO of the Gates Foundation spoke about the donation, stating, “we are working urgently with our partners to identify the most effective ways to help them save lives now and stop transmission of this deadly disease. We also want to accelerate the development of treatments, vaccines and diagnostics that can help end this epidemic and prevent future outbreaks.”

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Peter Macdiarmid