​In response to requests by many governments, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Director-General of the World Health Organization as well as Israeli and international aid organizations, the Israel Foreign Ministry has decided to increase Israel’s contribution to the international effort to prevent the spreading of the Ebola epidemic.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has authorized MASHAV, Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation, to send three mobile emergency clinics to areas in western Africa where there is a risk of infection with Ebola.

The clinics, which were manufactured in Israel, were built in accordance with standards and guidelines of the World Health Organization for the treatment of Ebola. A staff of medical experts will be attached to each clinic, and they will train the local practitioners in the operation of the clinic and its equipment. In addition, staff training will focus on preventing the spread of the disease and raising awareness among populations with high potential for infection.

An Israeli team has already been sent to Cameroon, where it was favorably received by the local authorities. The ministry also sent emergency equipment to the government of Sierra Leone, and in recent weeks shipped personal protection equipment to teams of the African Union.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)