Ebola has claimed 2,800 lives in 6 months, WHO study finds

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ebolaCNN reports that the death toll from Ebola in West Africa has now climbed to more than 2,800, with 5,800 cases confirmed as of Monday, the World Health Organization said.

In the six months since this outbreak was first formally reported, 337 health care workers have been infected, of whom more than 181 have died, the WHO said.

Its six-month situation report — which assesses the situation in the three countries at the center of the outbreak, Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — is dedicated to those health workers “who, as an expression of our innately shared human compassion, risked their lives, and lost them.”

It also looks at the likelihood of the virus spreading into other countries.

In what may be seen as an encouraging sign, the WHO indicates that “countries with well-developed health systems and services are unlikely to see much — if any — onward transmission of Ebola virus disease following an imported case.”