More than 2,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the World Health Organization said on Friday, out of about 4,000 patients thought to have been infected in the three countries worst hit by the disease.
The death toll in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone totalled 2,097 as at Sept 5, out of 3,944 cases, a WHO document said.
A further eight people have died in Nigeria, out of 23 cases, and 1 confirmed case in Senegal. That puts the death toll at a total of 2,105 and the number of patients so far at 3,968.
The WHO said health officials were trying to trace contacts of patients to halt the spread in those two countries, with 400 contacts being followed in the Nigerian cities of Lagos and Port Harcourt and 67 being followed in Senegal.
The sole patient in Senegal was in isolation, as were three patients in Nigeria, all of whom could be traced back to the initial case in Nigeria.
