The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced Friday that it will make $1 million available to support Senegal’s efforts to detect and prevent future cases of Ebola Virus Disease.

 The donation will assist the Ministry of Health to immediately implement immediately many of the activities in the Ministry’s Ebola Response Plan. These activities will focus on high priority needs such as community-based education and surveillance, communication, and infection prevention and control for health workers.

“This assistance will help the Ministry of Health to ensure any future cases of Ebola are identified, treated, and rapidly controlled,” USAID Mission Director Susan Fine said. “It will help strengthen the systems that successfully prevented the spread of the disease in August, improve the public’s understanding of the disease, and protect health care workers.”

The USAID announcement builds on technical and equipment assistance that multiple U.S. Government agencies have provided to Senegal since the start of the current outbreak to protect Senegal’s borders and to put in place measures to respond to any new Ebola cases.

As part of border protection efforts, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) have joined USAID in assisting the Senegalese Ministry of Health and the Aéroports du Senegal to keep the country Ebola-free through advising on methods that improve airport surveillance and screening.

USAID, in partnership with the World Health Organization, has donated equipment, including 5,000 personal protective equipment kits so that health care workers are prepared to deal with any new Ebola cases. USAID and CDC have also been has also support developinged Senegal’s Emergency Operations Center, assisted those preparing Senegal’s Emergency Response Plan, and trained health care workers on improved hygiene and Ebola awareness.

USAID implementing partners, including ChildFund, ADEMAS and IntraHealth, will work with the Ministry of Health and Social Action to implement activities under the $1 million that has been made available.