TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The World Health Organization (WHO) said the past week saw the highest jump of Ebola cases since the outbreak was first observed. To date, the disease has claimed 1,552 lives since February 2014.
“More than 500 cases were reported in the previous week alone. Most of the cases were reported in Liberia, but Guinea and Sierra Leone have also reported a significant jump in Ebola cases last week,” said a WHO official to Fox News on Friday, August 29, 2014.
Previously, WHO told of a worst-case scenario wherein the Ebola virus could end up infecting more 20,000 people in the region in a single week. The lack of public awareness of the nature of the disease—compounded with the fact that there are no cure or vaccine available, has made the spread of the disease extremely hard to control. The only way to curb the proliferation of the disease is through isolating patients that have positively tested for Ebola.
“Many residents are afraid and end up rejecting medical workers who came to take care of their sick relatives,” said WHO.
The organization is preparing to spend US$489 million in the next nine months to help combat the spread of the disease. On top of that, WHO is also dispatching thousands of medical experts and equipment to facilitate the efforts.
RINDU P. HESTYA | FOX NEWS
