Cape Town - South Africa will set aside 32.6 million rand to combat the spread of Ebola.
The money will be used to control and prevent the virus in South Africa and pay for mobile laboratories, experts, training and technical support for countries affected by the disease, the National Treasury said in its mid-term budget, released in Cape Town today.
“Unless you do something about Ebola, both in order to insulate yourself, but also to assist that it is contained where it is, you’re actually not doing yourself a favor,” Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene told reporters before delivering his speech.
Ebola is one of the world’s most deadly diseases.
It infects humans through contact with secretions from animals such as chimpanzees, gorillas and bats, causing bleeding from the eyes, ears, mouth and rectum.
It has killed more than 4,000 people in West Africa this year, with Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea the hardest hit.
There have been no confirmed cases in South Africa. - Bloomberg News