Global Ebola death toll exceeds 5,000

Health experts argue that the rate of new Ebola cases is more significant than the total death toll

The number of people killed by the worst outbreak of Ebola has risen to 5,160, the World Health Organization (WHO) says. The frequency of new cases no longer appears to be increasing in Guinea and Liberia but remains high in Sierra Leone, the health agency added.

 

The Ebola outbreak is thought to have infected more than 14,000 people, almost all of them in West Africa. The deaths of three more people in Mali have been reported in the past day.
 
"Transmission remains intense in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone" and the frequency of new cases is still increasing in Sierra Leone, the WHO said in its situation report.
According to our correspondent Imogen Foulkes, the report suggests that the resources needed to contain the virus in Sierra Leone are not in place. Only 19 of 53 planned treatment centres are operational, while out of the 370 trained burial teams required just 140 have begun work

Health experts have argued that the rate of new cases is more significant that the total death toll, as it reflects how fast the virus is spreading. More than 2,830 people have died from Ebola in Liberia, with more than 1,100 deaths in both Guinea and Sierra Leone, the WHO said.

Mali has reported four deaths from Ebola, while there were eight reported Ebola deaths in Nigeria, and one in the US. The total number of deaths has increased by 200 since the WHO's last situation report on 7 November.

 Cumulative deaths up to 11 November

*Figures are occasionally revised down as suspect or probable cases are found to be unrelated to Ebola. Figures for Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea up to 9 November, while those for Mali, Nigeria and the US up to 11 November.

BBC