GENEVA, Switzerland: A total of 1,427 people have died from Ebola in the West African countries so far, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The UN health agency said that more than 2,600 cases of Ebola have been reported while the worst-affected countries are Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.
It said that Liberia has witnessed 624 deaths, Guinea 406 and in Sierra Leone 392 people have succumbed to the hemorrhagic fever.
Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses.
It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases which kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who fall sick.