United Nations, July 10 (RHC) -- In a similar message of praise, the UN special envoy on Ebola, David Nabarro, told reporters on Thursday that Cubans should be very proud of their response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa last year.

Nabarro made the comments at a press conference during a two-day International Ebola Recovery Conference, which got underway Thursday morning in New York.

"Cuba was one of the very first nations that responded to the request by the UN secretary-general for help," Nabarro said. Cuba contributed more than 250 personnel who were posted in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, the three worst affected countries in the Ebola crisis, including personnel from the Cuban Medical Brigade's rapid response unit, he said.

Nabarro said he had personally traveled to Cuba to convey his thanks for the Caribbean country's support. "I went to Havana and spoke with President Raul Castro about this Cuban response and I just said to him how personally impressed and grateful I was for the speed and the generosity of the response," he said. "If I was a Cuban, I'd be super proud."