More than 3,000 people have died from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the World Health Organization (WHO) said, as the deadly virus showed signs of spreading in the region.
In an update, the United Nations health agency said 3,091 people had died of confirmed, suspected or probable cases of Ebola. A total of 6,574 cases have been reported.
The disease remains concentrated in three countries—Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone—which accounted for 3,083 of the deaths, according to data the WHO collected through September 23. The WHO said four deaths were reported in the Liberian border district of Grand Kru, the first time the virus had been reported there. It also spread to the Kindia district in Guinea.
No new cases were reported in Nigeria or Senegal, two countries were the Ebola virus has been confirmed.
The WHO called exposure of health-care workers to the Ebola virus, which causes high fever and internal bleeding, “an alarming feature of this outbreak.” As of September 23, 211 health-care workers had died from the Ebola virus, the WHO said.
In a separate and unrelated outbreak, 42 people have died from Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the WHO said.
