United Nations chief welcomes US assistance to fight Ebola

United Nations, Sep 17: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the US support against the

outbreak in West Africa and called for "bold and courageous" international efforts to fight the epidemic.

"The secretary-general warmly welcomes today's announcement by the United States government to provide a range of measures to assist in the global response to Ebola virus disease," Xinhua quoted Ban's spokesperson as saying in a statement Tuesday.

The measures include the building and staffing of Ebola treatment units, the dispatch of experts in logistics, training, and engineering, as well as continued humanitarian assistance for community healthcare, the statement said.

The UN chief also called on the international community to be as bold and courageous in its response as those who are on the frontlines, fighting this disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Ebola outbreak, the worst in the nearly 40-year history of this disease, has killed more than 2,400 people in West Africa.

In all, as many as 4,784 cases of Ebola infections have been registered so far.

The White House said Tuesday that the US will send 3,000 military personnel to combat the Ebola virus in West Africa.

US would also undertake new initiatives that include setting up a joint command headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, to coordinate between US and international relief efforts; training up to 500 healthcare providers per week; and building additional Ebola treatment units in affected areas.

The US has spent more than $100 million to address this challenge and the US Agency for International Development plans to provide another $75 million to increase the number of Ebola treatment units, buy more personal protective equipment, airlift additional medical and emergency supplies and support other Ebola response activities, the UN stated.

IANS