BANJUL, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank (WB) has approved a 500,000-U.S.-dollar fund to support Gambia for possible Ebola outbreak in the country.
The agreement was signed last week and the World Bank hopes to support Gambia to combat the disease that is affecting many people in the region, said Vera Songwe, the WB country director.
Although the West African nation has no reported case of the Ebola virus, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is currently working closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), and other partners for the country's preparation.
"The Ebola epidemic in neighboring countries has affected tourism in the Gambia as people are afraid to travel to and within Africa, resulting in great economic losses for the country," said Songwe.
The World Health Organization said on Monday that the total number of people infected by Ebola in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea, the three countries worst hit by the outbreak, stood at 20, 081.
More than 7,842 deaths have been recorded so far, said the WHO.
