MOSCOW, September 20 (RIA Novosti) – United Nations (UN) Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced in an official statement Thursday the establishment of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) to be deployed to its headquarters in Ghana and to Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by Monday.
"The Mission will provide the operational framework and unity of purpose to ensure the rapid, effective and coherent action necessary to stop the outbreak, to treat the infected, to ensure essential services, to preserve stability and to prevent the spread to countries currently unaffected," Ban Ki-moon's official statement read.
The UN System Senior Coordinator, Dr. David Nabarro, will guide the mission while Ban Ki-moon prepares to appoint a Special Representative to head the Mission.
According to the statement, the mission will particularly rely on the technical expertise of the World Health Organization and will work closely with UN Member states, regional organizations, the civil society and the private sector.
WHO announced on Thursday that the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) has so far caused 2,600 registered deaths and over 5,300 infections with 700 new cases reported in the last week.
Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia account for the majority of infections and deaths. In Nigeria 8 deaths have been reported so far as well as 40 deaths in Congo and 1 infection in Senegal.
The virus has no proven vaccine but the WHO permitted the use of experimental drugs for treatment.
