He’s showing his support for the fight against the disease that’s killed nearly 7 000 people and he’ll press for continued international response until the epidemic ends.

First stop for UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon is Accra where the emergency UN mission on Ebola is based.

World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan, the Secretary General’s special envoy on Ebola David Nabarro and the head of the UN mission on Ebola Tony Banbury are joining him as he heads for Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Ban’s avoided visiting these West African nations for fear of disrupting response efforts.

But now he wants to see for himself the progress being reported by the world organisation in controlling the disease and allocating resources to the afflicted nations.

The post UN boss visiting Ebola-hit countries appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

It’s calling the outbreak, that’s killed more than 4 000 people in West Africa, the most severe medical crisis of our time.

WHO head Margaret Chan says the panic in Ebola-hit West Africa is spreading faster than the virus.

She’s calling it a crisis for international peace and security.

Chan cites a World Bank estimate that 90% of the cost of the outbreak arises from irrational attempts of the public to avoid infection.

The executive director of the UN’s health arm Ian Smith puts it starkly.

“The outbreak of Ëbola virus in West Africa is the most severe acute health emergency of modern times. We do need to be deeply concerned,”he says

Liberian medics appear to have largely ignored a strike call over danger money and conditions.

Most are working normally.

The post Ebola the most severe medical emergency of modern times: WHO appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.