French President Hollande visits Ebola-hit Guinea
French President François Hollande was to visit Guinea on Friday in solidarity for the African nation where Ebola has killed 1,200 people.
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Hollande's visit is the first by a Western leader to an Ebola-hit country and the first by a French president to Guinea since 1999.
Hollande was to visit the Donka hospital in Conakry and healthcare facilities to acknowledge the courage of nurses and healthworkers.
He was also to participate in a round-table discussion on Ebola and hold talks with his Guinean counterpart Alpha Condé.
France has pledged 100 million euros in the fight against Ebola with financing several care centres.
A cooperation agreement is also to be signed with Guinean authorities for the creation of a Pasteur Institute in Conakry to focus on the arbovirus, which is transmitted by ticks and haemorrhagic fevers such as Ebola.
Hollande is due to travel later to the Senegalese capital Dakar to take part of the summit of French-speaking countries.
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