A Rwandan recently appointed by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, as the point man in the fight against Ebola in Guinea has said he was ready to take up the task. 

Kanyankore Marcel Rudasingwa, who until his appointment on Wednesday was Unicef Representative in Kenya, is one of the three Ebola Crisis Managers under the newly created United Nations Mission for Ebola Emergency Response (UNMEER).

The other two are Dutch national Peter Jan Graaff who was sent to Liberia and Amadu Kamara of the United States, Ebola Crisis Manager for Sierra Leone.

In an interview with The New Times yesterday, Rudasingwa said he was up to the challenging assignment.

"Notwithstanding the evident challenge and the enormity of the work, I feel very prepared mainly because I am convinced that the success of this mission is and will continue to receive unwavering support of the international community, governments both in the affected countries as well as those with both the scientific capabilities, technical knowhow and resources required to halt this potential global epidemic,” Rudasingwa said.

"This is a challenging assignment for which I was invited to present my candidature through my organisation, Unicef. It went through a rigorous selection process and thus, I feel a sense of gratification, honour as well as a strong resolve to make my contribution and continue to serve humanity which I have done for over 20 years now.”

According to the UN, Rudasingwa brings great value of service with Unicef for almost 20 years, having served extensively in various senior management and leadership functions in Kenya, Mali, Guinea and Denmark.

Born in 1955 in Rwanda, Rudasingwa graduated from the Makarere University in 1979 with a Bachelor’s Degree in languages and communication. He has undertaken additional studies in psychology and teaching.

Rudasingwa is married with two children.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and other stakeholders are still devising measures that can be undertaken to halt the spread of the largest Ebola outbreak in history.

Britain has announced it will send 750 troops, three helicopters and a military vessel to support the international Ebola relief efforts in Sierra Leone, one of the three countries that have borne the brunt of the epidemic.

After health officials announced that the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the US – a 42-year-old Liberian citizen – had died in hospital in Texas, US Secretary of State John Kerry, made an impassioned appeal for wealthy nations to do more to combat the outbreak.

"We need people to step up efforts. Now is the time for action, not words,” Kerry said.

In Spain, fear has reportedly gripped the public after cases were reported there too. Two doctors who treated a Spanish nursing assistant diagnosed with Ebola have reportedly been admitted to a Madrid hospital for precautionary observation, bringing the total number of those being monitored at the centre to six.

The WHO says almost half of Ebola patients in West Africa have died, and warns that the disease could spread.

The Ebola outbreak has killed 3,879 people and threatens more Western African nations poorly equipped to deal with the disease, the WHO said Wednesday.

The UN agency said a total of 8,033 people had caught the infection by October 5, and 3,879 of those had died.

It is reported that for the first time, US federal health officials will require temperature checks at five major American airports for people arriving from the three West African countries hardest hit by the deadly Ebola virus.

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Who is Rudasingwa?

Born in 1955 in Rwanda, Rudasingwa graduated from Makarere University, Kampala in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in languages and communication. He has undertaken additional studies in psychology and teaching. Rudasingwa is married with two children, a boy and a girl.

Prior to his appointment as Ebola crisis Manager for Guinea, Rudasingwa worked as Unicef Representative in Kenya. He has worked with the UN body for 20 years.