Ebola Death Toll in Three West African Countries Most Hit by Virus Nears 7,000
WHO Says 6,928 People Died of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
By Andrew Morse
WSJ.com
Nov. 30, 2014
ZURICH—Nearly 7,000 people have died from the Ebola virus disease in the three West African countries most affected by the current outbreak, according to new data from the World Health Organization.
In an update, the United Nations health agency said 16,169 confirmed, suspected or probable cases of Ebola had been reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The three countries are at the epicenter of the current outbreak.
A total of 6,928 people have died of Ebola in the three countries since the outbreak began, the WHO said. Liberia reported the biggest rise in deaths; more than 1,000 since WHO data released on Wednesday.
The agency, which recently changed the format it uses for reporting Ebola data, provided no commentary as to why the death toll jumped. However, a spokesman said via email that the increase was caused by previously unreported deaths now being counted in the official statistics, rather than a rash of new fatalities.
The WHO has previously said some local authorities have had difficulty processing paperwork quickly.
The agency has said its count may greatly underestimate the toll, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said it believes the actual count could be between two and four times the WHO numbers.
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