Ebola death toll rises to 887: WHO

The World Health Organization said Monday the death toll from the Ebola epidemic in west Africa has now reached 887 after 61 more fatalities recorded at the end of last week. Giving an update on the deadly virus — the worst Ebola outbreak ever — the UN health agency said the 61 deaths were reported between last Thursday and Friday in Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. According to the latest WHO tally, which includes both laboratory-confirmed and suspect cases, Guinea saw 13 new cases and 12 deaths last Thursday and Friday, Liberia, 77 new cases and 28 deaths, while Sierra Leone saw 72 new cases and 21 fatalities. WHO Director General Margaret Chan has warned that the response of some of the affected countries to the epidemic had been "woefully inadequate", and that the outbreak has been "moving faster than our efforts to control it".