TOKYO, August 15. /ITAR-TASS/. Japan’s government plans to allocate $1.5 million to West Africa countries in aid to fight spread of the disease caused by the Ebola virus, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.

The allocated money will be distributed via the World Health Organisation (WHO), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international organisations. The money will be spent for buying antiseptics, protective clothing for medical staff treating the infected.

“We shall continue watching the situation to guarantee safety of the Japanese people,” the official said.

A week earlier, WHO announced Ebola an international public health emergency. Most victims are in Guinea, where the disease claimed 377 people. In Liberia the death toll is 355, in Sierra Leone - 344, and in Nigeria - most populated country in Africa - has grown to three.