世行撥款2億美元抗擊埃博拉

The World Bank pledged up to $200m in emergency funding to help fight the Ebola virus in west Africa, as the death toll in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea mounts.

隨着埃博拉病毒在利比里亞、塞拉利昂和幾內亞造成的死亡人數日益增高，世界銀行(World Bank)承諾將向西非提供總計2億美元緊急資金，以抗擊埃博拉。

Jim Yong Kim, president of the World Bank, said the funds would provide “critically needed support for the response to stop further transmission of Ebola” within the three nations, which“would prevent new infections in neighbouring at risk countries”.

世行行長金墉(Jim Yong Kim)表示，該基金將“爲阻止埃博拉病毒（在這三國）繼續傳播提供急需的支持”，這些援助“或能阻止相鄰的高風險國家出現新的感染”。

The financial package comes days after the World Health Organisation and the west African countries most affected by the epidemic asked for immediate support.

就在世行提出這一財政援助計劃幾天前，世界衛生組織(World Health Organisation)和受傳染最爲嚴重的西非國家都曾請求緊急援助。

The African Development Bank has also promised emergency funding, with a package of about $60m. Donald Kaberuka, head of the AfDB, said the countries affected needed immediate support to build up their health systems.

非洲開發銀行(African Development Bank)也已承諾提供大約6000萬美元的緊急資金援助。非洲開發銀行行長唐納德•卡貝魯卡(Donald Kaberuka)表示，那些受影響的國家急需緊急援助，以建設醫療衛生系統。

The death toll from the Ebola virus outbreak in west Africa has climbed to 887, according to figures released by the WHO on Monday that suggest the epidemic is spinning out of control. In only two days, between July 31 and August 1, the WHO said 61 deaths and more than 100 new cases were reported.

根據世界衛生組織週一發佈的數字，埃博拉病毒在西非導致的死亡人數已攀升至887人，顯示病毒正在失控。在7月31日到8月1日僅兩天時間內，世界衛生組織就表示錄得61起死亡病例和逾100起新發現病例。

The World Bank said it would redirect some money already allocated to the three countries into the immediate Ebola crisis and, in addition, would seek permission from its board to tap the so-called emergency crisis window, which was set up several years ago to help poor countries hit by natural disasters.

世界銀行表示，此前已決定分配給上述西非三國的資金，將重新調配，用於對埃博拉危機的緊急處理。此外，該行還會尋求獲得董事會批准，以啓用所謂緊急危機窗口。該窗口於幾年前設置，旨在幫助受到自然災害打擊的貧窮國家。

World Bank officials said some of the money would support the WHO in the near term, and beyond that it would help the three countries’ health systems.

世行官員表示，短期內部分資金會用於爲世界衛生組織提供支持，在那之後這些資金將用於幫助這三國建設醫療衛生系統。

“This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it,” she added.

目前，埃博拉病毒尚無已知的有效療法或疫苗，這種病毒在感染後2至21天內發作，會導致嘔吐、腹瀉、以及內外出血症狀，致死率在50%到90%之間。

Margaret Chan, WHO director-general, said last week “if the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives, but also severe socio-economic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries”.

這次埃博拉病毒的爆發，是近40年前該病首次被確診以來最嚴重的一次。在此之前最嚴重的一次是2000年在烏干達的一次爆發，當時有425人因此喪生。1976年，該病毒曾導致大約280名感染者喪生，那次病毒爆發發生在埃博拉河附近一個偏遠的村莊內（那裏現在屬於剛果民主共和國），是目前已知最早的埃博拉病毒爆發事件。