US to Release $50m to Combat Ebola Outbreak in Africa

The United States has announced further financial support for the fight against the Ebola epidemic in Africa. The State Department plans to provide $50m to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) to develop vaccines and other medical countermeasures against the rare Bundibugyo strain of Ebola.

The funds will support laboratory research, clinical trials and the production of promising vaccine candidates. CEPI has previously invested more than $60m in four such candidates. The outbreak has hit the Democratic Republic of Congo particularly hard, with 676 confirmed cases and 136 deaths recorded.

The disease has also spread to neighboring Uganda. Experts warn that it went undetected for several weeks, complicating containment efforts.

Washington is also working with US health authorities and African governments to coordinate the response and limit further spread of the virus beyond the affected areas.

(reuters)