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Ebola death toll passes 5,000: World Health Organization

Ebola Liberia
In this Oct. 27, 2014 file photo, health workers unload the lifeless body of a man suspected of contracting the Ebola virus, as they carry him to a grave site on the outskirts of Monrovia, Liberia. AP Photo/Abbas Dulleh, File

DAKAR, Senegal – The World Health Organization says the number of Ebola deaths has passed 5,000.

The UN health agency said Wednesday that overall 14,098 people are believed to have been infected with Ebola, the vast majority of those in the West African countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Of those, 5,160 have died.

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There are some signs that the rate of new infections may be slowing in Guinea and Liberia, but they are surging in Sierra Leone, it said. In addition, the agency said that there are still areas of Liberia and Guinea where transmission remains high.

The agency has said even these unprecedented tolls are likely an underestimate because many sick people have been too afraid or unable to seek care.

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