18 September 2014 -- Dr Margaret Chan welcomed the White House announcement of a major ramp-up in support for containing the Ebola outbreak in parts of west Africa. In the hardest-hit countries, the outbreak threatens to push governments to the brink of state failure. She announced a joint WHO/UN initiative to address the crisis, which has unprecedented humanitarian, political, economic, and security dimensions. As she noted, health, medical, and clinical issues remain the heart and soul of the response.