MANILA, Dhu-AlHijjah 19, 1435, October 13, 2014, SPA -- The World Health Organization called the Ebola outbreak "the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times" but also said Monday that economic disruptions can be curbed if people are adequately informed to prevent irrational moves to dodge infection, AP reported. WHO Director-General Margaret Chan, citing World Bank figures, said 90 percent of economic costs of any outbreak "come from irrational and disorganized efforts of the public to avoid infection." Staffers of the global health organization "are very well aware that fear of infection has spread around the world much faster than the virus," Chan said in a statement read out to a regional health conference in the Philippine capital, Manila. "We are seeing, right now, how this virus can disrupt economies and societies around the world," she said but added that adequately educating the public was a "good defense strategy" and would allow governments to prevent economic disruptions. --SPA 12:34 LOCAL TIME 09:34 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w