World Health Organization Estimates 20,000 Could Die From Ebola Outbreak
An assessment by the World Health Organization has determined that the deadly Ebola outbreak currently sweeping West Africa could end up claiming the lives of 20,000 people.
The World Health Organization released an assessment Thursday that suggested the current death toll in West Africa is nearly double or quadruple what local death tolls have reported, given the many rural areas that dot the West Africa landscape.
"This roadmap assumes that in many areas of intense transmission the actual number of cases may be 2-4 fold higher than that currently reported. It acknowledges that the aggregate case load of Ebola Virus Disease could exceed 20,000 over the course of this emergency," the World Health Organization said in its report.
The WHO added that the response effort to the spread of the virus must be focused on major city hubs where transmission from travelers is most likely.
"Response activities must be adapted in areas of very intense transmission and particular attention must be given to stopping transmission in capital cities and major ports, thereby facilitating the larger response and relief effort," the WHO added in its report.
Currently, the Ebola outbreak that began in March has claimed the lives of 1,552 and infected over 3,000. Many West African countries, including Guinea, Sierra Leone and Nigeria have declared national states of health emergency to combat the infectious disease.
The WHO said effectively damping out the disease will take a massive, coordinated international response. The United Nations' ethics counsel has already sanctioned the distribution and use of experimental Ebola drugs for West Africa. Reportedly aid workers and doctors will be the first to receive the experimental drugs which, before this outbreak, had only been tested on monkeys.
