Ebola death rate rises to 70 percent as WHO warns of 10,000 new cases a week

The death rate in the Ebola outbreak has risen to 70 percent and there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week in two months, the World Health Organization warned Tuesday. Previously, WHO had estimated the death rate at around 50 percent. The UN health agency warned that if the world’s response to the Ebola crisis wasn’t stepped up within 60 days, “a lot more people will die” and there would be a huge need to deal with the spiraling numbers of cases. There are, however, signs that rates of infection are slowing in some of the worst-hit areas. For the last four weeks, there’s been about 1,000 new cases per week, with WHO aiming to get 70 percent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak.

Our goal is by 60 days we are able to identify all chains of Ebola transmissions in Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone.

WHO assistant director general Bruce Aylward

In Berlin, a UN medical worker infected with Ebola in Liberia died despite “intensive medical procedures.” The St. Georg hospital in Leipzig said Tuesday that the 56-year-old man, whose name has not been released, died overnight of the infection. The man tested positive for Ebola on October 6, prompting Liberia’s UN peacekeeping mission to place 41 other staff members under “close medical observation.” He arrived in Leipzig for treatment on October 9. The hospital said at the time there was no risk of infection for other people, since he was kept in a secure isolation ward specially equipped with negative pressure rooms that are hermetically sealed.

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