Ebola has killed more than 4,000 people: WHO

The World Health Organisation Tuesday said more than 4,000 people have killed by the Ebola virus till now and there might be up to 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week in the next couple of months.

"There will be over 9,000 cases this week and till now more than 4,000 people have succumbed to the disease," WHO Assistant Director-General Bruce Aylward told the media here.

He said that 95 percent of the cases have been reported in 19 districts of the affected countries in west Africa.

"It was too early to say whether the epidemic was slowing down," said Aylward, noting there has been a slowing down in new cases in some areas, but the disease continues to expand geographically.

He said that there could be an estimated 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week within two months.

The WHO is aiming to have 70 per cent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak, he added.

"If we don't do it in 60 days, a lot more people would die," he said.

Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have been hardest hit.

Aylward said that a "crisis management plan has to be in place and the political power has to be evident" to tackle the epidemic.

Ebola is a disease caused by a virus. Symptoms start two days to three weeks after contracting the virus, with a fever, sore throat, muscle pain and headaches.

Typically, vomiting, diarrhea and rash follow, along with decreased function of the liver and kidneys. Around this time, affected people may begin to bleed both within the body and externally.