- published: 19 Sep 2014
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U.N. to deploy Ebola mission as death toll reaches 2,630 The United Nations Security Council on Thursday declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa a "threat to international peace and security" as the death toll hit 2,630 and France became the latest Western nation to step up its support. French President Francois Hollande announced the deployment of a military hospital to the remote Forest Region of southeastern Guinea, where the outbreak was first detected in March. Since then the virus has infected at least 5,357 people, according to World Health Organization (WHO), mostly in Guinea, neighboring Sierra Leone and Liberia. It has also spread to Senegal and Nigeria. With fragile West African healthcare systems overrun by the outbreak, Hollande said France's response would not be limited to contributing to 150 million euros ($194 million) in aid promised by European Union nations. "We must save lives," Hollande told a news conference. "I have asked the defense minister to coordinate this action and to include military doctors and the civil protection agency plus air support."U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Thursday he will create a special mission to combat the disease and deployed staff in the worst-affected states. "The gravity and scale of the situation now require a level of international action unprecedented for a health emergency," Ban said. He added that he will appoint a special envoy to head the U.N. Mission for Ebola Emergency Response, which will push a "rapid and massive mobilization" of people, material and financial resources. "This international mission ... will have five priorities: stopping the outbreak, treating the infected, ensuring essential services, preserving stability and preventing further outbreaks," Ban told an emergency session of the Security Council.WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said a surge of support could help turn things around for the roughly 22 million people in the hardest-hit countries, whose lives and societies have been shattered by the disease. "In the hardest hit countries, an exponentially rising caseload threatens to push governments to the brink of state failure," Chan said during the session of the 15-member council. The Security Council also adopted a resolution that also calls on states "to lift general travel and border restrictions, imposed as a result of the Ebola outbreak and that contribute to the further isolation of the affected countries and undermine their efforts to respond." Joanne Liu, international president for medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres called on member states and others to follow the lead of countries that have committed to join the fight against Ebola. "We need concrete action on the ground now. Speed is of the essence," Liu said. "Although dangerously late, the pledges such as those of the U.S. and UK are ambitious, but they must be implemented now. We do not have months or even weeks to wait. Thousands of lives are at stake," she said, adding that other countries must commit to deploying assets and staff as soon as possible. U.S. President Barack Obama, calling the disease a threat to global security, promised this week the deployment of 3,000 U.S. troops to help contain the epidemic. Britain also announced on Wednesday it would provide a further 700 treatment beds in Sierra Leone, its former colony. For more Latest and Breaking News Headlines SUBSCRIBE to https://www.youtube.com/user/BBCBreakingNews500 TAGS abc breaking news, bbc, bbc football, bbc iplayer, bbc news, bbc news america, bbc persian, bbc sport, bbc weather, bbc world news, breaking celebrity news, breaking election news, breaking late news, breaking local news, breaking music news, breaking news, breaking news alerts, breaking news canada, breaking news headlines, breaking news in atlanta, breaking news in nigeria, breaking news india, breaking news pensacola florida, breaking news plane crash, breaking news story, breaking sports news, business expensive news home media world, christian world news, cnn, cnn breaking news, cnn money, cnn news, cnn news breaking news, cnn news world, detroit breaking news, global news, headline, headline news, health care technology news, hot latest global news, internet technology news, las vegas breaking news, latest breaking news, latest celebrity news, latest information technology news, latest music news, latest news, latest news headlines, latest news update, latest sports news, live breaking news, local breaking news, local news today, msn breaking news, nbc breaking news, nbc world news, news of the world, news report us world, news today news, news updated daily, solar technology news, sports news today, technology news, the latest news, today news, us news and world, us news and world report, us news and world report magazine, us news and world report web site, us news world report, world news, world news daily, world news headlines