AU: 1,600 Ebola workers pledged

African Union (AU) member states will send more than 1,000 volunteer health workers to the countries worst-affected by the Ebola epidemic in West Africa - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea - where trained doctors and nurses are scarce.

Nigeria has pledged to send a contingent of 600 volunteers, and the Democratic Republic of Congo has promised 1,000 workers. The DRC has suffered six outbreaks of Ebola since it was first detected there in 1976.

Nigeria is the continent's largest economy and top oil producer. Eight people died there during the latest oubreak and 20 were infected, after an air traveler brought the virus in from Liberia. The country was declared Ebola-free on Monday.

"Nigeria has 600 health workers who have been trained in the field of Ebola containment who are ready to go to other affected African countries to help them in containment of Ebola spread," said acting Health Minister Khaliru Alhassan, adding that the first contingent of 250 would be deployed soon - although not specifying a date.

AU appeal

The head of the AU Commission said the bloc was responding to an urgent need for medical staff.

"Several African member states have pledged to send in a number of health workers to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, including DR Congo, which will send around 1,000 workers in three groups," Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma told reporters in Freetown, Sierra Leone, on Thursday.

"Though we are awaiting other responses, East Africa has responded and pledged more than 600 health workers," she added.

"We've ... noticed that the international community is responding more to infrastructure and not much to health workers. And infrastructure is critical to have treatment centers and hospitals, but, if that infrastructure does not have the staff, it will go to waste."

The AU appealed last week to member states to contribute to the Ebola fight. There has been criticism of the response of African nations to the crisis, with Liberian officials deploring a lack of solidarity.

Other efforts

The international community has ramped up aid to the region. The US is deploying a 3,000-strong military mission to build up to 17 Ebola Treatment Units and train local doctors.

The EU Commission announced on Thursday that it was providing 24.4 million euros ($31 million) to be spent on Ebola research.

The latest World Health Organization figures show nearly 4,900 people have died from Ebola in West Africa, with almost 10,000 infected.

jr/mkg (Reuters, AFP)