Secretary of State John Kerry said Wednesday that other countries must “step up” to help fight the Ebola epidemic in West Africa, because the United States and a handful of other countries can’t pay the entire price.
“We need people to step up now. Now is the time for action, not words,” Mr. Kerry said. “And frankly, there is not a moment to waste in this effort.”
Mr. Kerry issued the challenge to other nations to contribute as the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States died from the disease. Thomas Eric Duncan, 42, was pronounced dead at 7:51 a.m. at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, where he was treated for Ebola since Sept. 28, The Associated Press reported.
Mr. Kerry displayed a chart showing about a dozen countries that had contributed to the fight against the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, with the United States and United Kingdom contributing the lion’s share.
“The fact is that the United Kingdom and the United States between them have contributed $120 million to the United Nation’s response,” he said. “There are smaller countries that have stepped up to the plate, some quite remarkably. … But the fact is more countries can and must step up in order to make their contributions felt.”
The number of countries bankrolling the effort “are not enough countries to make the difference to be able to deal with this crisis.”
“We need more nations, every nation has the ability to do something on this challenge,” he said. “We need countries to contribute more Ebola treatment centers, and we need other African countries with the capacity to send responders to join the effort. And we need to make sure the health care workers who go are properly trained, properly equipped and supported to prevent additional infections.”
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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