European Union leaders have pledged a total of £789 million (€1bn) to help fight the outbreak of Ebola in west Africa.

The announcement at the ­European Council summit in Brussels yesterday came after David Cameron threw down the gauntlet to fellow leaders in a letter last week, in which he warned them that failure to halt the virus at source would put Europe at risk.

The Prime Minister, who had earlier announced an additional £80m in UK funding, bringing the British contribution to £205m, said: "Over a billion euros across Europe will be galvanised and spent on dealing with this issue.

"I have been absolutely determined that Britain with other countries will lead the way in dealing with this. There is a massive crisis in west Africa and we should feel some moral obligation as a wealthy country to help but also deal with it because it directly threatens our national interest and our people in the UK."

Britain has taken a leading role in tackling the epidemic in former colony Sierra Leone, while the US leads the international effort in Liberia, and France in Guinea.

Until the new announcement, the UK effort dwarfed those of most of its EU partners in terms of both cash and manpower - totalling more than the contributions of another 19 countries combined.

Ahead of this week's summit, furniture store Ikea had outspent 18 EU member-states - including Ireland, Spain and Poland - in support for the Ebola effort, with a donation of €5m (£4m).

Arriving at the summit, Mr Cameron warned that the virus could spread to Europe if it was not stopped in its tracks.

"It is very important we take action at source in west Africa," said the Prime Minister. "Britain has been leading the way in terms of Sierra Leone and we have already pledged £125m, we have got military and other forces going to that country to help. But we need other countries to do more."

A UK source suggested that the slowness of some European states to respond to the emergency might have been down to the absence of historical links to the area.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) reported 9,936 cases, including 4,877 deaths, by October 19.

Some £50m of the new UK money will go towards rolling out 200 Ebola care units in areas of Sierra Leone, where individuals who fear they may have picked up the infection can be checked and put into isolation. Another £20m will go into the trust fund set up by UN secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, and £10m into support for burials of Ebola victims.

Experts have said that a key obstacle to eradicating the virus has been the unwillingness of relatives to give up the bodies of their loved ones without performing traditional burial rites, which increase the risk of spread.

Diane Sheard, UK director at the development campaign One, said: "David Cameron threw down the gauntlet to other European leaders and has led by example. These commitments - both financial resources and human capacity - must match the enormity of the task ahead and must be quickly translated into life-saving action.

"To prevent further outbreaks over the long term, it is paramount that British and EU funding is targeted at both stemming the immediate crisis and in rebuilding and strengthening the health systems of those countries - some of the world's poorest - which are bearing the brunt of Ebola."

l A two-year-old girl who became Mali's first Ebola case has died. The WHO said she may have infected many others. The disease may have been transferred as she was in close contact with people on a bus as she travelled from Guinea.