DHAKA: The head of the US Agency for International Development said on Tuesday poor understanding of Ebola was undermining the fight against the epidemic, pointing out that the fever is harder to get than malaria.

USAID director Jeremy Konyndyk, in Liberia to support the fight against an epidemic which has claimed the lives of almost 1,500 west Africans, told media educating people on how to protect themselves was the best way to beat Ebola.

‘Compared to something like malaria, it is much harder a disease to get. But obviously must worse when you do get it,’ he said.

‘So helping people to better understand how they can protect themselves, how they can avoid Ebola, is a critical piece of controlling this outbreak.’

The epidemic has sent shockwaves throughout the world since it emerged in southern Guinea at the start of the year, grounding flights to the afflicted countries and damaging African economies.

BDST: 1839 HRS, AUG 26, 2014