The World Health Organization has said the speed and extent of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa is “unprecedented”.<\/p>\n
The WHO’s Dr Keiji Fukuda expressed concern over so-called “shadow zones”, areas which cannot be reached and where patients are not being detected.<\/p>\n
The organisation confirmed 142 new cases of the disease had been reported since 19 August, as well as 77 deaths.<\/p>\n
Already more people have died in this outbreak of Ebola than in any other.<\/p>\n
At least 1,427 people have now died in the outbreak so far, with the number of cases now standing at 2,615.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a news conference in the Liberian capital Monrovia, Dr Fukuda said combating the disease would take “several months of hard work”.<\/p>\n
“We haven’t seen an Ebola outbreak covering towns, rural areas so quickly and over such a wide area,” he added.<\/p>\n
Also on Friday, Nigerian authorities said that they had detected two new cases of the virus, both spouses of medical workers who had direct contact with a man who died from the virus in Nigeria after arriving from Liberia.<\/p>\n
In Liberia on Friday, a boy of 16 shot during a protest about a quarantine died.<\/p>\n
Shakie Kamara was one of three people seriously injured on Wednesday after security forces fired at protesters, angry after blockades were erected around the West Point slum.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Senegal has defended the closure of its border with Guinea because of the Ebola outbreak, despite warnings that such measures are counterproductive.<\/p>\n
The WHO says travel bans do not work, and that what is needed is more doctors and officials to help trace those infected with Ebola, and more mobile laboratories.<\/p>\n
Senegal also banned flights and ships from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone – the three worst-hit countries – however, Senegal’s Health Minister Dr Eva Marie Colle Seck said humanitarian flights would not be affected.<\/p>\n
Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Kenya and South Africa have also imposed travel bans.<\/p>\n
Ebola has no known cure but some affected people have recovered after being given an experimental drug, ZMapp. However, supplies are now exhausted.<\/p>\n
On Thursday, two US doctors were discharged from hospital after being given the drug, while three Liberian medics are also recovering well.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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