CUBA'S health ministry said today that it is sending more than 160 health workers to help stop the raging Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone.

World Health Organisation chief Dr Margaret Chan said that the agency was extremely grateful for the help.

"If we are going to go to war with Ebola, we need the resources to fight," she said.

"This will make a significant difference in Sierra Leone."

While millions of dollars have already been pledged and countries including Britain and the US have volunteered to build treatment centres, Dr Chan said "human resources are most important," noting a crucial need for experienced doctors and nurses across the region.

"There is not a single bed available for an Ebola patient in the entire country of Liberia," she said, adding that a further 1,500 health workers were desperately needed in West Africa.

Cuban health minister Dr Roberto Morales Ojeda called on other countries to help.

Cuba will be sending experienced doctors, nurses and other scientists to Sierra Leone in early October.  They will stay for six months.

Since its 1959 revolution Cuba has dispatched thousands of doctors worldwide to work on issues ranging from maternal health to cataracts.

Ebola is believed to have killed more than 2,200 people in West Africa so far, the biggest outbreak of the lethal virus.

So far, the death rate is about 50 per cent.

Doctors and nurses are at high risk of catching Ebola, which is spread via bodily fluids.