WHO unveils plan to wipe out Ebola virus

In its new plan, the UN health agency stressed the importance of maintaining the massive efforts to rid the worst-affected nations — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — of the viral disease, cases of which have already fallen sharply.
   
"There is still a considerable effort required to stop all chains of transmission in the affected countries, prevent the spread of the disease to neighbouring countries and to safely re-activate life-saving essential health services," WHO said.
   
According to the latest numbers, around 26,300 people have so far been infected with the virus, and nearly 10,900 of them have died.
   
The WHO's 28-page Strategic Response Plan announced Tuesday is a follow-up on the roadmap it launched last August as the Ebola virus began spreading exponentially.
   
At the time, just over 3,000 cases and 1,500 deaths had been tallied, but the UN agency warned the caseload could top 20,000.
   
While those fears have been surpassed, WHO said Tuesday that the unprecedented global push to rein in the virus had proved successful.