U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday pressed the international community to urgently respond to a shortage of doctors, nurses, and equipment to stem the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Ban told reporters that a coordinated global response is essential. The secretary-general announced that he has appointed U.N. public health expert David Nabarro to coordinate the world body's effort to fight Ebola after consulting with U.N. health chief Margaret Chan. Nabarro has led earlier U.N. efforts to combat infectious diseases. "We need to avoid panic and fear," Ban said. "Ebola can be prevented." The World Health Organization (WHO) says that more than 1,000 people have died in the outbreak in West Africa. The virus was detected in Guinea in March and has hit Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Nigeria.
