The deadly Ebola disease could become the "definitive humanitarian disaster of our generation", the charity organization Oxfam says.

Oxfam said on Saturday that more troops, financial support and medical staff should be given to the West African countries which are at the center of the epidemic.

"We cannot allow Ebola to immobilize us in fear, but ... countries that have failed to commit troops, doctors and enough funding are in danger of costing lives," Oxfam’s Chief executive Mark Goldring said.

The deadly disease has so far killed at least 4,555 people, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

Meanwhile, Sierra Leone’s President Ernest Bai Koroma announced that the country’s Defense Minister Alfred Paolo Conteh was given responsibility to battle the spread of Ebola. The death toll from the disease has risen to 1,200 in the country.

This comes as the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday that the outbreak of the disease has ended in Senegal.

The UN health agency hailed Senegal’s response to Ebola which “included identifying and monitoring 74 close contacts of the patient, prompt testing of all suspected cases, stepped-up surveillance at the country's many entry points and nationwide public awareness campaigns."

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding.

The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.

Ebola remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases and kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who contract the disease. There is currently no known cure for Ebola.