The US Administration said it is seeking USD 6.18 billion in emergency funds from Congress to fight the Ebola virus, calling it an "urgent situation".
"To help meet both immediate and longer-term requirements, a USD 4.64 billion is requested for immediate response and USD 1.54 billion is requested as a Contingency Fund to ensure that there are resources available to meet the evolving nature of the epidemic", the White House said late Wednesday. The USD 4.64 billion for immediate response is designed to fortify domestic public health systems, contain and mitigate the epidemic in West Africa, speed the procurement and testing of vaccines and therapeutics, and strengthen global health security, the statement said.
This would reduce risks to Americans "by enhancing capacity for vulnerable countries to prevent disease outbreaks, detect them early and swiftly respond before they become epidemics that threaten our national security", it noted.
These are the same activities necessary to combat the spread of Ebola and reduce the potential for future outbreaks of infectious diseases that could follow a similarly "devastating, costly and destabilizing trajectory", the White House added.