London, Oct 18 (IANS): Former footballer David Beckham has joined the fight against Ebola, calling upon the world to help “collectively halt” the “ferocious” illness.

Beckham wants to help people in Sierra Leone affected by the disease that has a 70 percent death rate, femalefirst.com reports.

"Six years ago, I travelled to Sierra Leone with Unicef. I was inspired and honoured to have met so many amazing people and to see the beautiful country,” the 39-year-old said in a video for Unicef, of which he is a goodwill ambassador.

"While there, I was lucky enough to get a glimpse into the lives of children in remote villages and the challenges they faced in a country then devastated by civil war," he added.

Calling Ebola "an invisible enemy", he went on to say that the "ferocious disease" is spreading fast across West Africa.

"The good news is that this disease can be avoided if you take the correct measures...together we can collectively halt this disease in its tracks. Let's start now," he added.

Beckham also expressed sympathy for the victims of the disease.