WHO says more must be done to halt spread of ebola in Africa

(Vatican Radio) The Ebola epidemic is still spreading in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia and projections show there could be between 5,000 and 10,000 new cases a week in early December, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.

The death toll so far in the outbreak, first reported in Guinea in March, has reached 4,447 from a total of 8,914 cases, WHO Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward said. The WHO said the number of cases in West Africa will exceed 9,000 this week.

Speaking to the UN Security Council via video link, the head of the U.N. Ebola mission in West Africa, Anthony Banbury, called for stronger measures to prevent the spread of the disease. “If we do not reach these targets within 60 days and the numbers spike, many more people will die,” he said. “This is what we are fighting for now. We are fighting to prevent unavoidable deaths. We are fighting for people who are alive and healthy today but will become infected by Ebola and die if we do not put in place the necessary emergency response.”

Listen to Christopher Wells' report: