Liberia welcomed global pledges of
action on the Ebola epidemic ravaging west Africa, admitting on Friday that the
government was losing the trust of its people with the outbreak still out of
control.
World leaders gathered at the United
Nations on Thursday made fresh pledges of assistance in battling the growing
crisis, while the Group of Seven nations vowed to keep open vital air and sea
links with Ebola-hit countries.
“We are happy to hear that the
entire world now understands the urgency of the reaction to threat of Ebola,”
Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown told AFP.
“We hope that the commitment will be
quickly followed by action because if this drags for long, the populations of
the various countries will begin to lose patience and they will blame our
governments.”
Health systems in the worst-hit
countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been overwhelmed by the
epidemic, which has killed 3,000 people, and are in dire need of doctors,
nurses, medical equipment and supplies.
US President Barack Obama led calls
for a ramped up response, urging governments, businesses and international
organisations to join the fight.
UN officials could not provide an
immediate tally of the total pledges made at the UN meeting but the UN’s
coordinator for Ebola, David Nabarro, said countries had “responded with
generosity.”
Canada announced a contribution of
$27 million dollars to the effort and France said it has set aside 70 million
euros in a battle that the United Nations estimates will require close to one
billion dollars.
The European Union said it would add
30 million euros to the current 150 million euros it has provided to fight
Ebola.
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