(JollofNews) – Gambia has extended a brotherly hand to Sierra Leone with a whooping sum of $500, 000 donation.
The money is Gambian’s contribution to Sierra Leone’s battle against the deadly Ebola epidemic which has so far claimed 440 lives. Over 900 people have been infected in the country since it got its first case of an epidemic that originated from neighboring Guinea back in February and has also affected Liberia and Nigeria.
Over 1400 people have died and over 2000 infected in the four countries.
The pressure of the epidemic is currently on Sierra Leone and Liberia.
The Sierra Leone government has since crafted a $26m six-month national strategic plan to eradicate the disease but it has a funding gap of $18m.
President Ernest Bai Koroma has been appealing for international support to bridge this gap and he has emphasised the need for fellow African nations to take the lead.
Gambia’s contribution was presented to him on Tuesday at State House in Freetown through Sierra Leone’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Dr Samura Kamara.
President Koroma hailed the brotherly gesture and said it was what he’d expected from fellow Africans, especially those in the Ecowas region.
“In moments like this, Sierra Leone will remember its friends and those who stood by us,” he said and promised to personally put a call through to President Yahya Jammeh to express his appreciation.
Ebola is a viral disease which is highly contagious.
It has no cure but scientists say early treatment provides greater chance of survival for infected people.
Because of its infectious nature, the World Health Organisation has since declared the outbreak an international health emergency, which has been followed by several travel bans imposed on people in affected countries.
Gambia is one of the countries which have banned flight from Ebola affected countries in a bid to protect their citizens. But the Sierra Leoneans have not been happy about this.
