Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg announced on his facebook page today he and his wife are donating $25 million to help the Centers for Disease Control combat Ebola.
“The Ebola epidemic is at a critical turning point. It has infected 8,400 people so far, but it is spreading very quickly and projections suggest it could infect 1 million people or more over the next several months if not addressed,” Zuckerberg said in his post this morning.
“We need to get Ebola under control in the near term so that it doesn't spread further and become a long term global health crisis that we end up fighting for decades at large scale, like HIV or polio.”
Zuckerberg said he and Priscilla, who is a pediatrician, are “hopeful this will help save lives” and get the outbreak under control. He encouraged others to educate themselves on Ebola through the CDC Foundation website.
The latest Ebola figures listed Oct. 8 by the Centers for Disease Control show there were 8,400 cases worldwide, with the majority in West Africa. Deaths have reached more than 4,030.
The 2014 Ebola epidemic is the largest in history.
