US praises Cuba for significant contribution in Ebola fight

The US has praised Cuba for sending hundreds of its healthcare workers to Africa as part of the UN mission for the emergency response against the deadly Ebola virus.

"That Cuba has dispatched hundreds of health care workers to the region as part of the UN mission for the emergency response here. It is a significant contribution to the overall international response," State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters yesterday.

"We have recognised and appreciate this contribution, as we do from other countries as well. But the fact that such a small country is providing so many resources - more than many other countries, quite frankly - is a significant contribution," Harf said.

She said Cuba is one of the few countries besides the US that's sending medical doctors on the ground to fight Ebola.

Last week, Secretary of State John Kerry also praised Cuba's efforts.

"Cuba, a country of just 11 million people, has sent 165 health professionals - and it plans to send nearly 300 more," Kerry told a group of foreign diplomats in Washington.

"There is no country that is exempt from being able to do something to be able to contribute to this effort and help make a difference," Kerry said.

Cuba's contribution towards Ebola has also been recently praised by top American media outlets.

Nearly half of the more than 9,000 people who have contracted Ebola in West Africa this year have died, according to World Health Organisation.