Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen to donate $9m for Ebola fight

The CDC Foundation landed a $9 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation for its response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

The $9 million contribution to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Global Disaster Response Fund will establish emergency operations centers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, which have been most affected by the Ebola outbreak. There have been more than 1,850 deaths and 3,700 suspected cases of Ebola in West Africa, according to the CDC.

“A winnable battle should never be lost. Now is the time to respond to this crisis with the speed and resources needed to support all who are working hard to contain, and ultimately tackle, this horrible disease,” the foundation, started by Microsoft cofounder Paul Allen, said in a news release.

The Global Disaster Response Fund is providing materials and assistance to advance the CDC’s response to the Ebola outbreak. The agency activated its emergency operations center in Atlanta in response to the epidemic and now has more than 100 public-health experts in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

Agencies/Canadajournal