Recorded Ebola deaths exceed 7,000

The World Health Organization (WHO) says the Ebola outbreak has killed over 7,300 people amid a surge in the number of deaths recently reported in Sierra Leone.

New figures released late Friday revealed that the recorded death toll in the three worst hit countries by the deadly virus – Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea – had risen to 7,373 people.

The number is up from 6,900 cases on Wednesday.

A total of 392 of those new deaths have been recorded in Sierra Leone.

The new figures include confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola deaths.

The WHO says six Ebola deaths have also occurred in Mali, eight in Nigeria and one in the United States.

The total number of infected cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia now stands at 19,031, which is up from 18,569 based on earlier reports.

There is no specific treatment or vaccine for Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man.

Ebola has claimed the lives of many people, including healthcare workers.

On December 18, one of Sierra Leone’s leading doctors died from Ebola, making the 11th doctor in the country to succumb to the disease.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever with diarrhea, vomiting, as well as internal and external bleeding as its symptoms. The virus spreads through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person.