Microsoft co-founder Allen commits $100 million to Ebola fight

By Reuters Staff SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp co-founder Paul Allen said on Thursday he would increase his total donations to organizations tackling Ebola to more than $100 million, making him one of the biggest personal donors in the fight against the virus. The Seattle man, who co-founded what became the world's biggest software company with Bill Gates in 1975, had already donated $9 million to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to fight Ebola in September. In a statement released on Thursday, Allen said he was committed to giving "at least $100 million" to the cause through various channels. That includes funding medical evacuation containment units for medics who become infected, to be used by the U.S. State Department, and funding the University of Massachusetts Medical School to train medics and provide supplies for relief efforts in Liberia. “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 his statement.