Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has committed at least US$100m (€79m) to tackling the Ebola virus.
The 61-year-old made the announcement in a statement via his website and has called on the global community to follow suit.
“The Ebola virus is unlike any health crisis we have ever experienced and needs a response unlike anything we have ever seen,” said Allen.
“To effectively contain this outbreak and prevent it from becoming a global epidemic, we must pool our efforts to raise the funds, co-ordinate the resources and develop the creative solutions needed to combat this problem.
“I am committed to doing my part in tackling this crisis,” he wrote.
Allen also took to Twitter to announce the news and encourage his followers to pledge money to those responding to the outbreak.
I’m committing at least $100M to #TackleEbola. Join me in helping those responding to this outbreak at http://t.co/6Nd1JWfPEF
— Paul Allen (@PaulGAllen) October 23, 2014
Among the organisations already funded by Allen include the American Red Cross, UNICEF and Airlink.
Earlier this month, Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pledged US$25m (€20m) to the US Centres for Disease Control (CDC) Foundation to help fight the spread of Ebola.
Ebola image via Shutterstock
