GENEVA, Jan. 21 (PNA/ITAR-TASS) — The number of people killed by the Ebola virus has reached 8,626, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report Tuesday.
A total of 21,689 cases of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported, the statement said.
In line with statistics, the maximum number of Ebola-related deaths has been registered in Liberia. There have been a total of 3,605 cumulative deaths and 8,478 cumulative cases in the country. Liberia is followed by Sierra Leone (3,145 deaths and 10,340 cases) and Guinea (1,876 and 2,871 respectively).
Separate cases have also been registered in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, Britain and the United States.
The Ebola virus disease, previously known as the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe illness in humans, often fatal, according to the WHO. The virus is passed on to people from wild animals and can be transmitted from humans to humans. The average EVD case death rate is some 50%
The first outbreaks of the EVD occurred in remote Central African villages, near tropical rainforests. However, major urban and rural areas have been involved in the most recent outbreak in western Africa.
Early supportive care, which includes rehydration and symptomatic treatment, improves the survival rate.
No licensed treatment has yet been proven to be able to neutralize the virus but a number of blood, immunological and drug medications are under development. There are no licensed Ebola vaccines yet but two candidates are being evaluated. (PNA/ITAR-TASS)