Mostly in West Africa, deadly Ebola has just exceeded 5,000 confirmed deaths, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER) Anthony Banbury said.
Speaking before the General Assembly, late on Thursday, Banbury noted that "Ebola is a fearsome enemy and we will not win the battle by chasing it,"stressing the urgent need to get ahead of it.
The virus is spreading rapidly, and devastation went far beyond the human toll, with 3,300 Ebola orphans, rising food prices and schools closing down, he added.
UNMEER official expressed concern that many countries in the region did not have the health infrastructure to effectively and rapidly respond to an outbreak.
International assistance, he said, and local community engagement with people changing their behaviors has resulted in significant decreases in the infection rate.
On his behalf, the Secretary-General's Special Envoy on Ebola David Nabarro, recalled that he had described last month the disease as "the most extraordinary public health challenge the world could face," yet, actions by many communities was good evidence that people were changing the way they lived and behaved to reduce chances of experiencing the disease.