Chan & WHO trying to contain Ebola

By David Williams

The spread of the deadly Ebola virus is out of control and the effects could be ‘catastrophic’, the World Health Organisation said recently.

The outbreak of the disease, the worst since it was discovered in the mid-1970s, has so far caused 729 deaths in four different countries.

At the moment its spread is contained to West Africa, but there are growing fears that it could hit the UK.

WHO director-general Margaret Chan, BA'73, MD'77, DSc'99, said: ‘This outbreak is moving faster than our efforts to control it. If the situation continues to deteriorate, the consequences can be catastrophic in terms of lost lives, severe socioeconomic disruption and a high risk of spread to other countries.’