Japan to provide additional aid to Ebola-hit west Africa

The Japanese government said Friday that it will provide up to 100 million U.S. dollar in additional humanitarian assistance to Ebola-hit Western African countries, according to local media.
The aid comes on top of 40 million dollars Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged at the UN General Assembly in New York in September.
"The spread of Ebola has been a threat to international peace and security," Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga was quoted at a press briefing, adding "the situation remains severe" so that Japan made the decision to accelerate assistance.
According to the World Health Organization, the death toll caused by the deadly virus infection increased to 4,951 out of 13, 567 cases as of Oct. 29, and Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea are the top three countries that face the virus infection.
Also on Friday, a Tokyo man in his 60s was in fever after a visit to Liberia and will be tested for the Ebola virus, according to Japan's Kyodo News.