France announced on Thursday that it was bolstering assistance to African countries to help fight the spreading and deadly Ebola virus that has mainly hit Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia.
Infection cases have recently been found in Nigeria and one in Senegal. The Ebola virus which is transmitted through bodily fluids and contact with sick people kills around 80 percent of those infected.
French Minister of State for Development and Francophone Affairs Annick Girardin is soon to travel to Guinea to deliver a firm commitment to fight against the epidemic that has killed hundreds in that country.
France is also sending out staff to help in response to a call from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
"The French government is therefore mobilizing around 20 reserve personnel from the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Agency (epidemiologists, emergency physicians, infectious disease specialists, public health physicians) who will work on a rotating basis over the next 3 months in Guinea in order to provide support to the local authorities and health teams," Girardin's office said here.
Girardin is attached to the French Foreign Ministry which is also participating in the assistance mobilization along with the French Health Ministry.
"Five French experts will leave for Conakry (Guinean capital) tomorrow. These volunteers will complement the budgetary contribution to the needs expressed by WHO," the French statement said.