Latvia plans to allocate 50,000 euros to support the fight against the deadly Ebola virus in Africa,

Posting on his twitter account, Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics said he was planning to urge the government to allocate the necessary funds

"The amount most likely will be between EUR 30,000 and EUR 50,000,"Latvian foreign ministry spokesman Karlis Eihenbaums said, adding that he expected the final decision to be made in the coming days, LETA reports.

The Ebola virus has already claimed over 4,000 lives across Africa. Countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea have been particularly affected.

Here are some key facts on the virus according to the Associated Press news agency.

WHEN IS EBOLA CONTAGIOUS?

Only when someone is showing symptoms, which can start with vague symptoms including a fever, flu-like body aches and abdominal pain, and then vomiting and diarrhea.

HOW DOES EBOLA SPREAD?

Through close contact with a symptomatic person's bodily fluids, such as blood, sweat, vomit, feces, urine, saliva or semen. Those fluids must have an entry point, like a cut or scrape or someone touching the nose, mouth or eyes with contaminated hands, or being splashed. That's why health care workers wear protective gloves and other equipment.

The World Health Organization says blood, feces and vomit are the most infectious fluids, while the virus is found in saliva mostly once patients are severely ill and the whole live virus has never been culled from sweat.

WHAT ABOUT MORE CASUAL CONTACT?

Ebola isn't airborne. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has said people don't get exposed by sitting next to someone on the bus.

"This is not like flu. It's not like measles, not like the common cold. It's not as spreadable, it's not as infectious as those conditions," he added.