Guinea Bissau and Senegal are jointly to received 650,000 euro (about US $689,000) to fight a meningitis epidemic that has spread in areas bordering the two countries, the European Commission announced on Thursday.
The money, to be disbursed by the EU humanitarian aid office, ECHO, will allow humanitarian organisations to buy and administer more than 600,000 doses of vaccine.
The EU office in the Senegal said Guinea Bissau, the worst of the affected countries, would receive 500,000 euro (US $530,000) of the amount. The money will go to the NGOs LVIA, and Dan Church Aid.
Senegal will get 150,000 euro (US $159,000) for the Health Department in Sedhiou, in the Casmance region of Kolda.
The epidemic, first reported in the east of Guinea Bissau in January, spread suddenly March and has appeared in eight of the country's 10 regions. Of 2,960 cases reported so far, 242 have died.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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