WHO Calls Ebola Modern World's Worst Health Crisis

MANILA: The World Health Organization says the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is "the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times" but adds that economic disruptions can be curbed if people are adequately informed to avoid irrational moves to dodge infection.

World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan, citing World Bank figures, today said that 90 percent of economic costs of any outbreak "come from irrational and disorganized efforts of the public to avoid infection."

Researchers have calculated new benchmark figures to precisely describe the raging Ebola epidemic in West Africa from a mathematical perspective, an approach that may help health authorities to contain the virus.

Health authorities want to know how the epidemic will develop and, above all, how to prevent it from spreading further, researchers said.

In her statement to a regional health conference in Manila, which was read by a WHO official, Chan said educating the public about any disease outbreak is a "good defense strategy." She praised the Philippines for holding an anti-Ebola summit last week.

The Ebola epidemic has killed more than 4,000 people.

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