Kenya pledges $1 million to fight Ebola in West Africa

What you need to know:

The Head of State has previously stated that Kenya will not abandon the West African states that have been affected by Ebola.

Kenya will donate $ 1 million (Kshs 87 million) to Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia to help in the fight against the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), President Uhuru Kenyatta has said. Making the pledge today at State House, Nairobi, President Kenyatta said the donation is in line with Kenya’s foreign policy on African solidarity.

“Standing in solidarity with our African brothers and sisters during times of adversity is part of our foreign policy,” President Kenyatta said. He assured that border surveillance will continue to ensure Kenyans are protected from Ebola.

The Head of State has previously stated that Kenya will not abandon the West African states that have been affected by Ebola.

The African Union (AU) on Monday also called on countries to lift their travel bans over West Africa due to the Ebola outbreak, saying that such measures could have serious socioeconomic and cultural effects and could ultimately lead to increased suffering of people.

READ: West Africa flight ban leaves Kenya Airways in a fix

The three countries have been the worst hit by the outbreak of the Ebola virus which the World Health Organization has since declared a global public health emergency.

Ebola is spread through contact with body fluids (including blood, saliva, vomit, stool, urine and sweat) from a person infected with the disease. WHO guidelines emphasise that hygiene is paramount to curtailing transmission.