WHO- Ebola tishio, wagonjwa wanaongezeka

The World Health Organisation has warned that the deadly Ebola epidemic in West Africa has been 'vastly' underestimated and extraordinary measures are needed to contain the disease.

The warning comes as the United States ordered the evacuation of diplomats’ families from Sierra Leone, one of the countries at the epicentre of the outbreak. 

The Geneva-based organisation said in a statement that it was co-ordinating a 'massive scale-up of the international response' in a bid to tackle the spread of the disease. 

 The death toll from the condition has now climbed to 1,069 with most victims in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

The WHO said in the statement: 'The outbreak is expected to continue for some time. WHO’s operational response plan extends over the next several months.
 

'Staff at the outbreak sites see evidence that the numbers of reported cases and deaths vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak.

'WHO is coordinating a massive scaling up of the international response, marshalling support from individual countries, disease control agencies, agencies within the United Nations system, and others.

'WHO Director-General Dr Margaret Chan held discussions with a group of ambassadors from Geneva’s United Nations missions. 

The meeting aimed to identify the most urgent needs within countries and match them with rapid international support.  

 'These steps align with recognition of the extraordinary measures needed, on a massive scale, to contain the outbreak in settings characterised by extreme poverty, dysfunctional health systems, a severe shortage of doctors, and rampant fear.' 

Their statement comes after claims that Ebola treatment centres are filling up faster than they can be provided in west Africa. 

WHO spokesman in Geneva Gregory Hartl said: 'The flood of patients into every newly opened treatment center is evidence that the numbers aren't keeping up.' 

The warning comes as the United States ordered the evacuation of diplomats’ families from Sierra Leone, one of the countries at the epicentre of the outbreak.

He added that an 80-bed treatment centre opened in Liberia's capital Monrovia in recent days and filled up immediately. The next day, dozens more people showed up to be treated. 

Meanwhile, he said that experts who are going house-to-house in Kenema, Sierra Leone, in search of infected people are discovering more cases. 

Doctors from China have also gone to Sierra Leone to help treat patients suspected of having the virus. 

Daily Mail