UN sets 60-day deadline to tackle Ebola

United Nations, Oct 15 (IANS/EFE) The UN has given itself a period of 60 days to intensify the fight against the Ebola epidemic in West Africa and to prevent the disease from defeating international efforts to eradicate it.

"Ebola is developing faster than us and is winning the race. We cannot allow Ebola to win," said Anthony Banbury, head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER), Tuesday.

Through a video-conference from Accra, Ghana, Banbury warned the UN Security Council, which met Tuesday to discuss issues of the African continent, including the Ebola threat.

The head of UNMEER, a mission which began work last month, said that according to the World Health Organisation (WHO) data, within a period of 60 days that began from Oct 1, a series of goals must be met in the fight against Ebola.

He said that, during this period, 70 percent of those infected should be treated in medical units and 70 percent of funerals of those victims who die must be accomplished without causing new infections.

"If we achieve these objectives, then we will be able to turn the corner on this epidemic," Banbury said.

He stressed that to fight Ebola it was necessary to identify the victims, treat them in health centres, create safe areas and provide sufficient information so that the people are adequately protected.

"If we fail in one of these things, we fail in everything," Banbury warned.

According to the latest WHO data, the epidemic has already caused 4,447 deaths and has infected 8,914 people. The worst affected countries are Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The UN Security Council met a month ago to analyse the epidemic and consider it as a threat to peace and international security.

The Security Council has met only on two occasions previously to discuss a health issue and on both occasions it was to examine the effects of the AIDS epidemic.

--IANS/EFE

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