The World Health Organization (WHO) announced that the death toll from the Ebola outbreak has increased to 5,420 as of Wednesday, November 19.
According to the United Nations health agency, the 15,145 who died from the virus have been reported across eight countries and most cases were concentrated in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
As these three hard-hit countries in West Africa continue to experience persistent transmission, the capacity to isolate patients increase as well.
"As this number increases, so does the capacity to isolate patients and prevent further transmission of the disease," the health agency said.
In the November 16 update, 2,964 people had died in Liberia out of 7,069 cases while 1,250 people had died in Sierra Leone and 533 confirmed cases.
However, the fresh toll appeared to be slowing in the capital of Liberia, allowing the hardest-hit country to lift its state of emergency.
The WHO said the three most affected countries are making improvement in responding to the disease with more than 1,000 beds are available at a total of 18 operational Ebola treatment centers.
Yet, the organization believes that the number of deaths is likely far higher, given that the fatality rate in the current outbreak is known to be around 70 percent.
Guinea, where the outbreak began last year, counted 1,971 cases and 1,192 deaths while Mali, the latest country to be hit by Ebola, showed six cases of the deadly virus and five deaths.
Data from Senegal which has eight deaths and 20 cases and Nigeria with one case and no deaths remained unchanged and both countries have been declared Ebola free.
Moreover, WHO said that a total of 568 healthcare workers have contracted the virus and 329 of them died. This only means that people caring for the sick or handling the bodies of people infected with Ebola are therefore at most at risk.
The disease, which has a 21-day incubation period spreads through direct contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person showing symptoms such as high fever, vomiting and internal bleeding.
