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                          WHO: Ebola Deaths Top 4,550

   by VOA News

   The World Health Organization says the number of deaths from the Ebola
   outbreak has hit 4,555, with the number of confirmed cases at nearly
   9,200.

   New numbers released Friday show all but nine of the deaths occurring
   in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

   Earlier, WHO declared the nation of Senegal Ebola-free 42 days after
   officials there reported a lone case of Ebola.

   In another development, the Associated Press says it has obtained a WHO
   internal report that chronicles how the U.N. agency missed
   opportunities to prevent Ebola from spreading soon after it was first
   diagnosed in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

   The leaked document said WHO blamed its staff for a slow response to
   the Ebola outbreak, saying WHO personnel failed to grasp that
   traditional infectious disease containment methods would not work in a
   region with porous borders and broken health infrastructures.

   The report said "nearly everyone involved in the outbreak response
   failed to see some fairly plain writing on the wall."

   U.S. President Barack Obama Friday named a former aide to U.S. Vice
   President Joe Biden, Ron Klain, as Ebola "czar" to coordinate U.S.
   efforts to fight the virus.
   "What we understand this Ebola czar to being doing is handling
   resources and information," said Dr. Stephen Brotherton, former Texas
   Medical Association president. "That doesn't need to be a physician.
   For instance, the group in Liberia is being handled by a military
   officer. That's appropriate for him to do that. You don't want a doctor
   putting up tents in military facilities. What you want is somebody
   who's skilled at that. If this guy is skilled at handling resources and
   information then he's the guy."

   President Obama said Saturday in his weekly address if the U.S. wages
   the fight against Ebola with facts instead of fear, he is "absolutely
   confident" that the U.S. can prevent a serious U.S. outbreak of Ebola
   and "can continue to lead the world in this urgent effort."

   White House officials say Obama is willing to "keep an open mind" on
   imposing a ban on travel from West Africa to the U.S., but believes
   such action might discourage people seeking to enter the U.S. from
   being candid about their travel history. Administration officials say
   that would substantially complicate U.S. efforts to protect Americans
   from the virus.

   Some U.S. lawmakers have been calling for a travel ban on the West
   African nations where the outbreak is centered.

   At the U.N. the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the United
   Nations told VOA that the African Union does have a coordinated
   response to Ebola virus.
   Ambassador Tete Antonio says the AU was one of the first organizations
   to decide to distribute money to the countries in Africa affected by
   Ebola. He said the organization has since released more money to help
   fund efforts in the fight against Ebola on the African continent.
   Antonio said the African Union also organized a meeting of the
   ministers of health in Africa. And he said the organization put
   together a meeting of the AU Peace and Security Council, which decided
   to deploy an AU mission in West Africa.
   Antonio says the Ebola virus "is no longer an African problem. It is a
   global problem" that impacts everyone.
   Meanwhile, Reuters reports that U.S. health officials Friday said they
   have requested plans for producing the experimental Ebola drug ZMapp
   from three advanced biology laboratories.

   The experimental anti-viral medication was given to a handful of
   medical workers after they contracted the Ebola virus but supplies of
   the drug have since run out.

   Also on Friday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told diplomats
   stationed in Washington that the international community must work
   together to resolve the Ebola crisis.  He said barely a third of the $1
   billion the U.N. says is needed to fight Ebola has been contributed.

   Kerry warned that without more help, delivered quickly, Ebola will
   become a global crisis like polio.

   The World Health Organization announced Thursday it is sending teams to
   Ivory Coast and Mali to evaluate the countries' preparations to deal
   with the virus. The WHO will also increase coordination with an
   additional 13 at-risk countries in the region.

   Also, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has reissued his appeal for
   contributions to fight Ebola.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/who-ebola-deaths-top-4550/2488046.html