WHO Holds Crisis Meeting In Accra On Worsening Ebola Outbreak

The World Health Organization is hosting an emergency meeting in Ghana today on the deadly Ebola outbreak in the sub-region. Health officials from 11 countries will meet in Accra to discuss how to put an end to the crisis. More than 400 people have died in what has now become the worst Ebola outbreak in history. Most of the deaths have been in Guinea but there are an increasing number of cases in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Health Ministers from the three affected countries will join officials from neighbouring Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Guinea Bissau and Senegal, as well as Uganda, DRC, Gambia and host Ghana. All these countries are considered to be at risk from Ebola, which is one of the deadliest viruses on the planet. The WHO said the death toll in West Africa has risen to 467, with 68 of the deaths recorded since June 23. The number of cases had risen from 635 on 23 June to 759, a 20 percent increase. Experts on the ground say one of the key reasons for the continuing spread is the fear and denial around the illness.