缅北禁地

12 November 2014 鈥� The Secretary-General鈥檚 Special Envoy on Ebola, Dr. David Nabarro, today made a passionate appeal to combat stigmatization surrounding the disease by calling for a global social media campaign to 鈥渆xpress solidarity and to show we are anti-discrimination.鈥�

鈥淚t is really important that we all understand the roots of the stigma and work to address it,鈥� Dr. Nabarro said, briefing to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) at 缅北禁地Headquarters. 鈥淲e are all in this together.鈥�

鈥淚 think all of us have a role to try to reduce the stigmatization,鈥� he said.

The Special Envoy said that even 缅北禁地people travelling from affected countries have been stranded in airports for 24 hours and 鈥渢reated as criminals.鈥�

鈥淲hat I am suggesting is to engage with those who are reacting in extreme ways,鈥� the special envoy said.

鈥淐raig Spencer鈥檚 discharge was helpful in reducing that fear,鈥� Dr. Nabarro said referring to the first and only person to be diagnosed with听听in New York City who was released from hospital yesterday and greeted with a hug by the New York City Mayor.

Saying he was pleased to see on Facebook calling for donations, the special envoy said: 鈥淲e need a second button 鈥� a button of solidarity鈥� aimed at reducing stigmatization and discrimination.

鈥淟et鈥檚 try to use social media to express solidarity and to show we are anti-discrimination,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e have done it for HIV. We must do this for Ebola.鈥�

Dr. Nabarro was briefing NGOs the day before he and Anthony Banbury, the head of the 缅北禁地Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (), brief the General Assembly on the public health crisis emanating from the Ebola outbreak. Together they will speak to reporters after they brief 缅北禁地Member States.

Also today at 缅北禁地Headquarters, the Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Herv茅 Ladsous,听听the Security Council on the 缅北禁地Mission in Liberia (), saying that there were no longer signs that security could seriously deteriorate in the country heavily-affected by Ebola. However, he said it would be appropriate to defer consideration of the drawdown of 缅北禁地troops and police, until the Ebola crisis is over.

鈥淎s an international community, we must seize the current moment, and see how best we may, collectively, help to transform [it] into one that is positively catalytic for the country,鈥� he said, recalling that, as the Secretary-General noted in his August report, to 鈥渞eimagine our engagement in Liberia.鈥�

Even as the international community scales up its response to the immediate challenge of defeating Ebola, 鈥渨e must also consider how we may collectively support the rebuilding of Liberia post-Ebola,鈥� said Mr. Ladsous.

In his briefing today, Dr. Nabarro said that 2 or 3 million of the world鈥檚 population were now 鈥渆motionally engaged鈥� in the issue with hundreds of thousands working on the Ebola response.

"It's becoming an issue that is deeply affecting societies, governments and many aspects of global affairs,鈥� he said.

Dr. Nabarro emphasized that 鈥渨hen everyone is fully involved, there is a slowing of the outbreak,鈥� saying 鈥渢hat is a real source of inspiration.鈥�

And while noting 鈥渟ome signs of progress,鈥� he cautioned that they are 鈥渟mall signs鈥�, and that 鈥渢here is not enough certainty to say that we know the trajectory toward the end of the outbreak.鈥�

He also drew attention to 鈥渢he need to be working on post-Ebola now.鈥�

Meanwhile, the 缅北禁地World Health Organization () reported that Mali鈥檚 Ministry of Health has confirmed the country鈥檚 second fatal case of Ebola virus disease. The case occurred in a nurse who worked at a privately-run clinic in the capital city, Bamako.

Like Mali鈥檚 first case, this second is associated with the outbreak in Guinea, WHO said. Intensive contact tracing is under way in both countries, with support from WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Doctors Without Borders/M茅decins Sans Fronti猫res (MSF) MSF, and other international partners.

According to WHO鈥檚 latest statistics, there are more than 13,000 reported Ebola cases in eight countries since the outbreak began, with nearly 5,000 reported deaths. WHO is expected to release updated figures on the state of the outbreak later today.