Number of Ebola Cases in West Africa Increases by 90 Over 24 Hours: WHO

The Ebola death toll increased by almost 50 within the same period of time, with the total number of Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone increasing almost by 90 in one day.

GENEVA, December 23 (Sputnik) – The total number of Ebola cases in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone increased almost by 90 in one day, World Health Organization (WHO) reported Tuesday.

On December 22, the organization reported 19,340 cases of the disease in the three West African countries as of December 20, whereas on Tuesday WHO said that the number climbed to 19,431 as of December 21.

The death toll increased by almost 50 within the same period of time, and stood at 7,565, compared to previously reported 7,518.

On Monday, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden said that, despite the global response to Ebola, the virus continued to surge in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

The same day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged the international community to step up efforts to contain Ebola, as the virus kept evolving.

The current outbreak of the Ebola virus started in Guinea in December 2013, spreading to Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria and Senegal in 2014, with several Ebola cases reported outside of West Africa.

There is no officially approved vaccine against Ebola. Several countries, including Russia, have started developing medication to fight the disease.