Death toll passes 1,550 as Ebola outbreak accelerates

Ebola Outbreak - Photo by Leopoldo Martin R

The Ebola outbreak “continues to accelerate” in West Africa and has killed 1,552 people, the World Health Organization said Thursday.

The total number of cases stands at 3,069, with 40% occurring in the past three weeks. “However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities,” the WHO said.

The outbreak, the deadliest ever, has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with a handful of cases in Nigeria. The overall fatality rate is 52%, the WHO said, ranging from 42% in Sierra Leone to 66% in Guinea.

The WHO issued a “road map” Thursday that “responds to the urgent need to dramatically scale up the international response” in light of the acceleration of new cases, it said.

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