Ebola death toll rises to 7,693: WHO

The death toll from the Ebola outbreak in west Africa has risen
to 7,693 out of 19,695 cases recorded, the World Health
Organization said Friday.
The previous toll released December 22 stood at 7,518
fatalities out of 19,340 infected in Sierra Leone, Liberia and
Guinea.
Worldwide, the disease has killed at least 7,708, including six
in Mali, one in the United States and eight in Nigeria, which
was declared Ebola-free in October.
Spain and Senegal, which have both been declared free of
Ebola, meanwhile counted one case each, but no deaths.
– Sierra Leone –
Sierra Leone, which has overtaken Liberia as the country with
the most infections, counted 9,203 cases and 2,655 deaths on
December 24, the WHO said.
Four days earlier the toll stood at 8,939 cases and 2,556
deaths.
– Liberia –
Liberia, long the hardest-hit country, has seen a clear
decrease in transmission over the past month.
As of December 20 the country counted 7,862 cases and 3,384
deaths, up from 7,830 cases and 3,376 deaths recorded in the
previous update, the WHO said.
– Guinea –
In Guinea, where the outbreak started a year ago, 2,630 Ebola
cases and 1,654 deaths were recorded as of December 24.
The previous tally showed the country with 2,571 Ebola cases
and 1,586 deaths.
– Healthcare workers –
Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, is spread
only through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an
infected person showing symptoms such as fever or vomiting.
People caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people
infected Ebola are especially exposed.
As of December 21 a total of 666 healthcare workers were
known to have contracted the virus, and 366 of them had
died, according to WHO.