Despite growing number of casualties and decreasing health workers, more help is underway as Japan releases $1.5 million (¥145 million) financial aid to countries affected by the Ebola outbreak.

The grant is channeled to West African nations with the highest numbers of fatalities and infections such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.  Organizing bodies that assist in disseminating funds include The World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund, and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

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Prior to the said release, the Japanese government has already given $0.50 million or ¥50.4 million to Guinea in April as a support for its "humanitarian needs."  Around 2,240 people are already reported to have been infected by the virus, which was first discovered after the Civil War in 1967.  Fatalities have jumped to 1,229, according to latest WHO data, majority of which is from Liberia.

On Tuesday, Liberian president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared a state of emergency and closed the country's borders while putting Monrovia into a night time curfew and partial quarantine.  Situations in Liberia continue to worsen and is now described as "catastrophic" as residents and health workers flee the country for safety.

Other nations and organizations have also expressed their support through financial grants such as The African Development Bank ($56 million), United Kingdom ($8 million), China (complimentary supplies worth ($4.9 million), and United States with $4.9 million pledge and deployment of the Disaster Assistance Response Team.

However, despite continued relief efforts, oppositions like Brice de la Vingne questions the way the international community is responding to the epidemic.  In a report by Financial Times, he said that one of the biggest challenges of this crisis is deploying well-trained health responders.

Médecins Sans Frontières International president Dr Joanne Liu said that it is a risky job to deploy health workers on the ground during the course of the Ebola virus due to dangers of infection and continuous demand for patient's care, reported New York Times.

TagsEbola Virus, ebola emergency aid, japan fights ebola