WHO: Nearly 500 confirmed Ebola cases

TT

Published 13.08

 

Health workers in Mongbwalu, Congo-Kinshasa on Friday. Photo: Moses Sawasawa/AP/TT 

The number of confirmed Ebola cases in the ongoing outbreak in East Africa is about to reach 500, the World Health Organization (WHO) says.

A total of 471 cases have been confirmed according to the WHO's latest situation update. 82 people have died.

The vast majority of cases are reported from Congo-Kinshasa, while neighboring Uganda confirms 19 cases.

The increase has been sharp in the past 24 hours, and it could get worse. According to estimates from the American infectious disease control agency CDC, the ongoing outbreak risks becoming worse than the one that ravaged West Africa in 2014 without strong efforts.

Then over 11,000 people died and 28,000 were infected with the feared hemorrhagic fever.

– That scale is possible, said CDC Director Jason Asher at a recent press conference.