U.S Secretary of State John Kerry has named former U.S. Ambassador to India, Amb. Nancy Powell, Ebola Coordinator for the Department of State.
A statement by the U.S. Embassy in Abuja made available to the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday said Powell had previously served as the State Department’s Senior Coordinator for Avian influenza.
It stated that In her new role, she would lead the department’s outreach to international partners to ensure a speedy and truly global response to the Ebola crisis.
NAN recalls that President Barack Obama had declared Ebola outbreak a national security priority, and outlined the U.S. government’s strategy to address the threat from the epidemic in West Africa.
The four goals of that strategy include controlling the epidemic at its source in West Africa, and mitigating second-order impacts, including blunting the economic, social, and political tolls in the region.
The U.S strategy would also engage and coordinate with a broader global audience in addition to fortifying global health security infrastructure in the region and beyond.
“Ambassador Powell, working with leaders from across our government, is leading our efforts to build the coalition required to bring this epidemic under control,’’ the statement said.
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that Ebola infections in Guinea have stabilised.
The announcement by the UN health agency came days after it said the spread of the virus has been “pretty much contained’’ in Nigeria and Senegal.
“The situation in Guinea, although still of grave concern, appears to have stabilised,” WHO said in a statement.
It noted that the number of infections per week had remained roughly the same over the past five weeks.
However, an upward trend continues in Sierra Leone and Liberia, according to WHO report.
The report shows that the combined number of Ebola cases in these three West African countries has now climbed to 6,242 with a death toll of 2,909.(NAN)
