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UN, WTO officials appeal for more money to end Ebola outbreaks

Xinhua, February 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

High-level officials from the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday appealed for more money to help end the Ebola outbreaks as the newly reported cases surged in West Africa last week.

"The international community has been incredibly generous, whether they are individuals, governments, non-government organizations, or businesses, we've seen real generosity," the UN Special Envoy on Ebola David Nabarro told a press conference.

From October to December last year, more than 850 million U.S. dollars were spent to fight the disease, according to him.

Nabarro said good progress is being made, but the outbreak of Ebola still presents a great threat.

He warned that there has been increasing number of cases reported. In the past week, 124 confirmed cases were reported, an increase of 25 percent compared with the figure of the previous week.

"We have to continue to do the hard work until the last person of Ebola under treatment and the outbreak is finished," he said.

According to Nabarro, from January to June 2015, 1.5 billion U.S. dollars are needed to fight against the disease. Currently, the gap is 1 billion dollars.

Bruce Aylward, the assistant director-general of the WHO, also attached great importance to the financing issue. He said the money could help to rapidly adjust strategy and get needed platforms in some of the highly dangerous areas.

Bringing the Ebola cases to zero requires financing and the right people in the ground, he said. Endit