AN NHS nurse who caught Ebola while treating infected patients in Africa has called for the world to unite to find a solution to the epidemic in this year's alternative Christmas message.
William Pooley, from Suffolk, followed in the footsteps of figures including whistleblower Edward Snowden and former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by delivering Channel Four's answer to the Queen's Christmas message.
The 29-year-old, who was flown back to Britain for treatment in August after being diagnosed with Ebola and returned to West Africa after recovering to help more victims, described the virus as "unlike any disease I've ever witnessed".
He added: "Nothing can prepare you for the effect it has on the infected, on their families and on their communities."
The nurse said that he had been fortunate to have been born in a wealthy country, and flown back to London for the best possible treatment.
However, speaking from the Connaught hospital in Sierra Leone's capital, Freetown, he added that thousands had died "lonely, miserable deaths". The Ebola virus has so far claimed more than 7,500 lives.
"My exposure to this disease reinforced the belief that when people need help it's important that it's given," he said. "This is a good time to think about the sheer fortune of where and when we happen to be born. If anything Christmas should focus our minds on our kinship with people in all corners of the globe. We are all brothers and sisters. I'm sure we would all help a brother or sister in need.
"I don't want to make you feel guilty, but I would like you to think just for a few minutes about what you could do to help. This is a global problem and it will take the world to fix it."
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