UNITED NATIONS, September 12 (RIA Novosti) - UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the contribution of Cuba to the fight against the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, following the Socialist nation's move to send some 165 medical personnel to Sierra Leone, the UN said Friday.
According to the press release, Ban called on "more countries and organizations to move swiftly to support the Governments of the countries affected, through the World Health Organization Road Map and a complete overview of requirements, which will be released by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva on September 16."
The UN Secretary General also called the countries to refrain from closing their borders to people coming from Ebola-hit countries, and for airlines and shipping companies to maintain transport links with the region.
"Isolating the countries risks causing more harm and delaying efforts to stop the Ebola virus, rather than preventing its spread," Ban argued.
Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has led to more than 4,300 cases of infection, which killed almost 2,300 people. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia are among the countries subject to the epidemic. Scientists from several nations, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom and Japan are currently working on a vaccine for the deadly disease.
