Addis Ababa - Africa needs to provide more manpower to fight the Ebola epidemic striking the west of the continent, a top African Union official said Thursday.
“We have to do more as a continent to mobilize human resources,” said Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, head of the African Union Commission.
“We have about 100 volunteers up to now, and we are looking for more volunteers because that's going to be a big challenge,” the head of the executive arm of the AU told a news conference in Addis Ababa.
Dlamini-Zuma said many countries had pledged help with hospitals and treatment centres but not many had pledged human resources.
“If the infrastructure is built, it will need human beings, health workers,” she said.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday called on the international community to “accelerate and dramatically expand” aid to combat the spread of Ebola.
Nearly 4 500 people have died this year, mainly in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and health officials warn many more will die if the outbreak continues at its current pace.
Sapa-AFP