Not looking good presently!
New cases of Ebola could reach 10,000 per week by December as the virus outbreak races out of control in West Africa, a World Health Organization official said Tuesday.
WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward also said the death rate, which had been estimated at about half of those who become infected, has risen to about 70%.
"A lot more people will die" if the crisis response isn't stepped up within two months, Aylward said. He said WHO's goal is to begin seeing a week-to-week decline in the number of new cases in the Ebola hotbeds of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone within 90 days.
Aylward said new strategies such as handing out protective equipment to families and setting up very basic clinics was a priority.
"It would be horrifically unethical to say that we're just going to isolate people," he said.
Aylward said that over the last month there have been about 1,000 new cases per week. That figure includes suspected, confirmed and probable cases. He said WHO is aiming to have 70% of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak.
As of Tuesday morning, 8,914 Ebola cases and 4,447 deaths had been reported to WHO.
