Gates Foundation donates $50 million to fight Ebola


The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will donate $50 million to U.N. agencies fighting Ebola, the foundation announced Wednesday.
The foundation said in a statement that it would give "flexible funds" to U.N. agencies' work to stop the disease, which has killed more than 2,000 people in the recent outbreak. The foundation has already given $10 million out of that $50 million to fighting Ebola, including $5 million to the World Health Organization and $5 million to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
"We are working urgently with our partners to identify the most effective ways to help them save lives now and stop transmission of this deadly disease," Gates Foundation CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann said in the statement. "We also want to accelerate the development of treatments, vaccines, and diagnostics that can help end this epidemic and prevent future outbreaks."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Meghan DeMaria is a staff writer at TheWeek.com. She has previously worked for USA Today and Marie Claire.
-
What are the Abraham Accords and why are they under threat?
The Explainer The 2020 agreements would be 'undermined' if Israel annexes West Bank, UAE warns
-
Pickle-juice drinks that pack a punch
The Week Recommends Use leftover brine to make fresh lemonade and tangy margaritas
-
Codeword: September 8, 2025
The Week's daily codeword puzzle
-
Texas declares end to measles outbreak
Speed Read The vaccine-preventable disease is still spreading in neighboring states, Mexico and Canada
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agency
Speed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year high
Speed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, change
Speed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panel
speed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kids
Speed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sick
speed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last year
speed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC