World Bank president Jim Yong Kim urged more healthcare workers to volunteer in the fight against Ebola during his visit to Ethiopia on Tuesday.

Jim expressed his concern on where to find 5,000 additional workers to combat the Ebola epidemic outpacing the medical efforts in West Africa.

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"With the fear factor going out of control in so many places, I hope healthcare professionals will understand that when they took their oath to become a health care worker it was precisely for moments like this," BBC quotes Kim.

Kim is currently making rounds to Ebola-affected countries with UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and African Union Chairwoman Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma.

According to recent World Health Organization figures, the recorded cases of Ebola are estimated at 10,000, with the mortality rate getting close to 50 percent. The number of infected healthcare workers is at 450 while 250 already died of the disease.

The World Bank president fears the high death toll may have already created a stigma.

Among highly publicized cases involve Dallas nurses Amber Joy Vinson and Nina Pham, and New York physician Craig Spencer. Pham and Vinson have already been cleared from the virus, but Spencer remains under watch.

During his speech, Kim also warned against travel restrictions to affected countries.

Meanwhile, UN secretary general Ban said "the only way to stop Ebola is to stop it at its source". He said that isolation is obstructive to the response efforts.

On Tuesday, Australian Immigration Scott Morrison announced that the country is closing its doors on refugees from West Africa. The move was widely criticized, even by its own Australian Medical Association (AMA).

AMA President Brian Owler told CNN that it came as a surprise, seeing as the chance of Ebola entering Australia from the affected region is "very low".

Kim is expected to arrive in Ghana on Thursday, October 31, to meet with Vice President Kwesi-Amissah Arthur.

Tagsmedicine, Microbiology, Biology, Jim Yong Kim