UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appointed David Gressly of the U.S. as UN Emergency Ebola Response Coordinator, his press office said Thursday.

Guterres has also recently announced a strengthened coordination and support mechanism led by Gressly in the epicenter of the Ebola outbreak in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the office said.

Gressly brings a wealth of humanitarian leadership and political and security experience to the role, having served as deputy special representative of the secretary-general in the DRC since 2015 and prior to that as deputy special representative of the secretary-general, resident and humanitarian coordinator and resident representative of UN Development Program in the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali.

Earlier this month, the World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called for sustained political commitment to improve the response to the current Ebola outbreak in the DRC.

The number of confirmed Ebola cases is increasing. This outbreak is the 10th in the DRC since the disease was identified in 1976. 

It is also the worst on record as it has been exacerbated by people's lack of trust on government and attacks on treatment centers by unidentified assailants in February and March, hampering the authorities' ability to contain the disease and treat people infected or at risk. 

Read more: WHO calls for sustained political commitment to end Ebola