The United Arab Emirates has pledged $10 million through the UAE Aid Agency, under directives from President Sheikh Mohamed, to help combat the Ebola outbreak in Africa, the agency announced.
Dr Tareq Al Ameri, Chairman of the UAE Aid Agency, said the country had already sent more than 150 tonnes of humanitarian aid, including personal protective equipment, infection-control supplies and food, to roughly 280 health centres in affected regions.
Alongside the new funding, the UAE announced it was lifting Ebola-related travel restrictions on Uganda after the country's outbreak was officially declared over. Precautionary restrictions remain in place, however, for travellers arriving from the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan, where the virus is still actively spreading.
The decision was coordinated among several UAE bodies, including the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (Ncema), the Ministry of Health and Prevention, and the Federal Authority for Identity, Citizenship, Customs and Port Security. Officials said the UAE continues to monitor the outbreak situation across the African region and will adjust travel measures as the situation develops.
Ebola, which causes severe haemorrhagic fever, has repeatedly affected parts of sub-Saharan Africa over the past decades. Uganda has faced multiple outbreaks over the last two decades, while the outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to spread, keeping regional health authorities on alert.