WHO: We could see 10,000 new Ebola cases each week

The current Ebola outbreak's death rate has risen to 70 percent, and the World Health Organization announced Tuesday that as many as 10,000 new cases could appear in West Africa each week.

The past four weeks have seen roughly 1,000 new Ebola cases each. Bruce Aylward, the WHO's assistant director-general, said that "a lot more people will die" if the world does not increase its commitment to fighting Ebola in the next two months.

The WHO said Tuesday that the current Ebola outbreak has killed 4,447 people, and it is the worst Ebola outbreak on record. Last month, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that the current outbreak's number of Ebola cases could reach 1.4 million by January 2015.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up