UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is pressing the international community to urgently respond to a shortage of doctors, nurses and equipment to stem the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.
Ban said at a news conference Tuesday that a coordinated global response is essential.
Ban announced that he has appointed U.N. public health expert David Nabarro to coordinate the world body’s effort to fight Ebola after consulting with U.N. health chief Margaret Chan.
Nabarro has led earlier U.N. efforts to combat infectious diseases, including SARS.
“We need to avoid panic and fear,” Ban said. “Ebola can be prevented.”
The WHO says more than 1,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. The virus was detected in Guinea in March and has hit Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.
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