MOSCOW, August 24 (RIA Novosti) - The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the first case of Ebola infection among its staff experts as an epidemiologist deployed to Sierra Leone contracted the deadly virus, Agence France-Presse reported Sunday.
According to WHO, the employee is “receiving the best care possible,” but no further details were provided.
The World Health Organization also said that so far a total of 2,615 cases of infection, with 1,427 deaths have been recorded across West Africa. The numbers are likely to be lower than the actual figures due to the social stigma associated with the disease.
The Ebola virus disease is a highly deadly illness with a 90 percent mortality rate. It is transmitted through direct contact with the blood or bodily fluids of the infected.
No licensed treatment or vaccine against the virus is yet available, though a number of companies in the United States, Japan and Canada have been working on one.
The United States previously delivered three doses of the experimental ZMapp serum to Liberia. According to WHO, some 10 or 12 doses of the serum currently exist.
