More than 10,000 people have now died from the Ebola virus,
almost all of them in west Africa, the World Health Organization said
yesterday.
The three hardest-hit countries of Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia
have recorded 24,350 cases and 10,004 deaths since the epidemic began
more than a year ago, the UN body said.
There have also been six deaths in Mali, one in the United States and
eight in Nigeria, all of which have since been declared Ebola-free.
Ebola, one of the deadliest pathogens known to man, is spread through
direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing
symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
Sierra Leone has registered the highest number of cases in the
worst-ever outbreak of the tropical fever, reporting 11,677 cases as of
March 10, according to the WHO. The country has seen a total of 3,655
deaths from Ebola.
Also as of March 10, Guinea had reported 3,330 cases and 2,187 deaths.
Liberia, long the worst-hit country, recorded 9,343 cases as of March 5, with 4,162 deaths
