Driving Naari Programme launched in Chandigarh
United Nations, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday night welcomed the support pledged by the United States for the global response to the Ebola 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,” said a statement issued here by Ban’s spokesperson.
According to the statement, 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 health care.
In his statement, 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.”
“Ebola Virus Disease is not just a health crisis; it has grave humanitarian, economic and social consequences that could spread far beyond the affected countries,” the statement said.
“The secretary-general and the United Nations are determined to accelerate action and meet this test of international cooperation and solidarity,” it added.
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.
The White House said in a statement on Tuesday that the U.S. will send 3,000 military personnel to combat the Ebola virus in West Africa.
According to the statement, the new initiatives also include setting up a joint command headquarters in Monrovia, Liberia, to coordinate between U.S. and international relief efforts; training up to 500 health care providers per week; and building additional Ebola treatment units in affected areas.
The U.S. has spent more than 100 million U.S. dollars to address this challenge and the U.S. Agency for International Development plans to provide another 75 million dollars 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 statement said.
