Ebola death toll rises to 1,427: WHO

GENEVA: The death toll from the Ebola outbreak sweeping through West African countries has risen to 1,427 out of more than 2,600 cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Friday.

The latest tally, which counts the number of victims from March when the deadly disease first reared its head to August 20, found that 77 people had succumbed to the virus on Tuesday and Wednesday. The previous death toll was 1,350.

Liberia remains the worst-affected country with 624 deaths. Guinea has seen 406 people die while in Sierra Leone, 392 have succumbed to the Haemorrhagic fever.

Nigeria, meanwhile, had seen five people pass away by August 20. The latest outbreak of the disease, first identified in 1976 in what was then Zaire but is now DR Congo, is the worst-ever and countries affected are struggling to contain the spread.

Neighbours in the region and countries further afield are growing increasingly concerned over the mounting death toll, and many have stopped flights to the Ebola zone and closed land borders.