Nabarro, who has been a public health doctor for 35 years, said more treatment facilities, community care centers and money are needed.
The United Nations appealed for about $1 billion on Sept. 16. Nabarro said nearly $800 million has been pledged, plus additional money to help the affected governments cope with economic challenges and to pay military forces providing assistance in region.
But Nabarro said the U.N. now estimates it will need $1.5 billion, so there is a $700 million gap. He predicted that will be met because “the citizens of the world” have responded and want to help.
The U.N. goal is to have 70 percent of cases isolated and 70 percent of burials safe by Dec. 1.
Nabarro said there has been “extraordinary progress” on burials in Liberia and the figure of safe burials is near 70 percent now. Touching and washing bodies are tradition at Liberian funerals, but authorities have launched campaigns warning such practices increase the risk of transmitting Ebola.
The other countries have farther to go but there are “promising signs,” he said.
Nabarro said access to treatment which isolates patients is improving but is not up to 70 percent because of a lack of personnel, especially skilled international staff.
WHO said 22 percent of the planned 4,707 beds needed in the treatment centers are currently in operation, citing the lack of foreign medical teams as the key problem.
The organization said Guinea currently has two foreign medical teams operating treatment centers and needs at least five more, Liberia has three foreign medical teams and needs 13 more, and Sierra Leone has five teams with 10 more being deployed.
Nabarro said efforts are also under way to increase the number of community care centers where people can be treated from 10 now to about 300 in December.
