Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today convened a United Nations system-wide coordination meeting in response to the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which is now affecting more than 1 million people in the so-called “hot zone of disease transmission” on the borders of the three countries most impacted by the disease, Relief Web reports.

Public domain image/Mondo Magic
Public domain image/Mondo Magic

“Decisions to seal off the hot zone of disease transmission, that is, the area where the borders of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone intersect, are critical for stopping the reinfection of areas via the cross-border movement of people,”  WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said.

Chan also notes the outbreak has placed every city with an international airport at risk of an imported case

“More than one million people are affected, and these people need daily material support, including food,” she said. “The isolation of this zone has made it even more difficult for agencies, like Médecins Sans Frontières, to bring in staff and supplies.”

The outbreak total is now 1,975 cases and 1,069 deaths in the four countries of Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone. For more infectious disease news and information, visit and “like” the Infectious Disease News Facebook page