From BBC

IMAGE: A Liberian woman weeps over the death of a relative from Ebola on the outskirts of Monrovia

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the spread of Ebola in West Africa an international health emergency.

WHO officials said a coordinated international response was essential to stop and reverse the spread of the virus.

The announcement came after experts convened a two-day emergency meeting in Switzerland.

More than 960 people have died from Ebola in West Africa this year.

There were 68 new cases and 29 deaths reported over the course of two days this week, the United Nations health agency revealed on Friday.

It brings the total number of cases to 1,779 – with four in Nigeria, the most recent country to be affected.

There were 26 new cases in Sierra Leone and 38 in Liberia, but no new cases in Guinea, where the outbreak began.

The WHO said the outbreak was an “extraordinary event”.

“The possible consequences of further international spread are particularly serious in view of the virulence of the virus,” it said after the meeting.
Complex outbreak

WHO director-general Dr Margaret Chan appealed for help for the countries hit by the “most complex outbreak in the four decades of this disease”.

For more on this story go to: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-28702356