Thousands of new cases predicted as UN official declares 'Ebola is winning'

The UN’s Ebola mission chief says that the world is losing its battle against the Ebola virus, with thousands of new cases predicted by December.

16:52 15 October 2014

Anthony Banbury, the UN’s Ebola mission chief has told the UN Security Council that Ebola “is winning the race.” To date, 4,447 people have died from the outbreak, as confirmed by World Health Organisation. 

 

In the US, a second health worker in Texas has been confirmed to have been infected with the virus. However, it’s Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea are the ones that have been hardest hit by the epidemic which started in December 2013. 

 

Mr Banbury told the UN Security Council that unless Ebola is stopped now, the world would "face an entirely unprecedented situation for which we do not have a plan.” He said that more money is needed to build treatment centres and for more medical personnel to staff them. 

 

The stern warning came after WHO’s latest projections that thousands of new cases will be diagnosed by December if global efforts to fight the infection were not stepped up. 

 

In total, there had been 8,914 cases, including the fatal cases. WHO expects the number to reach 9,000 by the end of the week.