WHO: Ebola could infect more than 20,000 people

The World Health Organization released a statement Thursday saying that the Ebola virus could infect as many as 20,000 people, which is more than six times the number of currently known cases.

The WHO also said that in many areas affected by the Ebola outbreak, the case numbers may be as many as four times higher than are currently known. The organization released new data on the outbreak, stating that 1,552 people have died from Ebola infection in Libera, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria. And the outbreak "continues to accelerate."

Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO's assistant director-general, told The Associated Press that the WHO's plan for handling the crisis and stopping transmission of the virus will cost $489 million in the next nine months.

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