GENEVA
Almost 600 Ebola virus cases were reported in the three most-affected West African countries in the past week as the number of Ebola cases nears 16,000, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.
The World Health Organization, or WHO, is a specialized agency of the United Nations that is concerned with international public health and is headquartered in Geneva.
There have been a total of 15,935 confirmed Ebola cases, with 5,689 reported deaths in the six affected countries -- Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone, Spain and the U.S. -- and two previously affected countries -- Nigeria and Senegal -- up to the end of 23 November, WHO said in a report on Wednesday.
The three most-affected countries -- Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- contributed 5,674 of the 5,689 total deaths.
The latest figures recorded 7,168 cases and 3,016 deaths in Liberia; 6,599 cases and 1,398 deaths in Sierra Leone; 2,134 cases and 1,260 deaths in Guinea; 20 cases and eight deaths in Nigeria; eight cases and six deaths in Mali; and one case in Senegal.
Outside of Africa, there were also four cases and one death in the U.S. and one case in Spain.
A total of 592 health-care workers have also been infected with the Ebola virus, 340 of whom have died.
According to WHO, case incidence has been stable or declining in Liberia with 67 new cases, stable in Guinea with 148 new cases but may still be increasing in Sierra Leone with 385 cases.
WHO said that over 70 percent of Ebola patients in Guinea are isolated and over 80 percent of the required safe and dignified burial teams are in place in the country.
However, fewer than 70 percent of patients are isolated in Liberia and Sierra Leone and only around 25 percent of the required safe burial teams are in place in both countries.
www.aa.com.tr/en
