UNITED NATIONS, December 19 (Sputnik) — On Friday, as UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon toured West African countries, impacted by Ebola, he paid tribute to the doctors and medical workers on the front line in combating the virus.
"I want to salute the courage of all health workers, and to offer my condolences to the families and friends of all who have died in responding to the spread of Ebola in Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia and Mali," the Secretary General said in prepared remarks from Hastings, Sierra Leone.
12 December 2014, 18:48 GMT
Ban added that the United Nations has been a long supporter of West African countries’ quest for peace and development and pledged to “continue to be your close partner now.”
The latest World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the death toll from the Ebola epidemic at nearly 7,000 as of December 14. Of the 649 cases of the virus contracted by medical personnel, 365 had lethal outcomes.
Ban Ki-moon next heads to Guinea and Mali.
