Ryan's District Boards

By Joe Bavier and Tom Miles ABIDJAN/GENEVA (Reuters) - The European Union on Friday pledged 140 million euros ($180 million) to boost the fight against Ebola in West Africa, where the death toll in the worst outbreak on record has passed 2,100 people. "We are helping make a difference on the ground but the needs are outpacing the international community's capacity to react." The outbreak was first confirmed in Guinea in March and has since gripped Liberia and Sierra Leone. The EU funding will be used to strengthen health systems, train health workers and pay for mobile testing laboratories, highlighting how the disease has struck some of the continent's poorest nations and exposed the fragility of their medical care. Over 97 million euros will be spent on budget support to Liberia and Sierra Leone in order to help them deliver public services, including health care, and maintain macroeconomic stability, the European Commission said in a statement.