Microsoft co-founder to partner with UMass in fight against Ebola

Donna Gallagher, a UMass community health instructor who has made dozens of trips to Liberia, is seen in August with some of the items destined for medical staff in Africa. (T&G File Photo/THOMAS CAYWOOD)

 

 

 

 By Maria L. La Ganga LOS ANGELES TIMES/MCT

SEATTLE — Paul Allen, billionaire owner of sports teams and mega-yachts, on Thursday pledged at least $100 million to fight Ebola in what is believed to be the largest private foundation donation so far to combat the deadly disease and support health care workers in West Africa.

The gift from the co-founder of Microsoft involves the University of Massachusetts Medical School. It includes an estimated $26.5 million already donated to organizations such as the American Red Cross, to pay for equipment, volunteers and educational materials, and the Centers for Disease Control Foundation, to establish emergency operations centers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the nations at the epicenter of the epidemic.

"The Ebola virus is unlike any health crisis we have ever experienced and needs a response unlike anything we have ever seen," Allen said in a statement. "I am committed to tackling Ebola until it is stopped."

The disease, which has spurred worldwide panic, travel restrictions and a scramble by hospitals and health agencies to prepare for its possible spread, is generally transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of an infected person.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that, as of Wednesday, the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history has infected nearly 10,000 people and claimed more than 4,500 lives, with the highest death toll in Liberia.

"We thank Paul Allen and his foundation for their contribution on this crucial issue," Andrew O'Brien, the State Department's special representative for global partnerships, said in a statement. "We hope that this sets a much needed example for what will be robust and rapid private-sector leadership, working in partnership with the U.S. government."

Allen said he plans to partner with UMass to provide medical workers and laboratory equipment in Liberia, with a particular focus on making sure that local hospitals are outfitted with decontamination equipment.

He also will fund the development and manufacture of two medevac containment units to evacuate medical workers from West Africa. One problem in recruiting enough health care workers to travel to affected countries, Allen's statement said, is the "lack of a clear medevac pathway should they become infected and require treatment."

Allen has also set up an online donation platform at TackleEbola.com to allow individuals to give money to specific areas of need.

Allen has already made philanthropic gifts totaling more than $1.5 billion in his lifetime through the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation. He joined the Giving Pledge, an initiative created by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to encourage the world's wealthiest to give away at least half of their vast fortunes.

The $100 million pledge by the owner of the Seattle Seahawks and the Portland Trail Blazers is the latest in a stream of donations by wealthy individuals and foundations.

Last week, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, donated $25 million to the CDC Foundation, noting on his Facebook page that the deadly disease 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."

In September, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave $50 million to support the emergency response to the disease, while the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation committed $5 million. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation gave $1 million in August.