Ebola death toll passes 11,000 in Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the deadly Ebola disease has claimed the lives of more than 11,000 people in the three worst-affected countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
The WHO said on Wednesday that 26,593 people had been infected with the virus and 11,005 had lost their lives since the outbreak in December 2013. Liberia had the highest death rate, with a total of 4,716 being recorded, while 3,903 died in Sierra Leone, and 2,386 in Guinea.WHO is set to announce the termination of the epidemic in Liberia on May 9. Sierra Leone and Guinea have also witnessed a decline in new cases, with only nine being reported in each country since last week. Ebola spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of infected people, and has no proven vaccine or treatment, yet. Several vaccines are under trial, however. It remains one of the world’s most virulent diseases, which kills between 25 to 90 percent of those who fall contract it.