Ebola death toll in West Africa passes 1 000

Dakar - The World Health Organisation says the death toll in the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has passed 1 000.

The UN health agency said in a news release Monday that 1 013 people have died in the outbreak, which has hit Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and possibly Nigeria.

Authorities have recorded 1 848 suspected, probable or confirmed cases of the disease, which causes a high fever, vomiting and bleeding. The outbreak was first identified in March in Guinea, but it likely started months earlier.

The updated WHO tally includes figures from 7-9 August when 52 more people died and 69 more were infected.

Ebola is highly lethal and there is no licensed vaccine or treatment for the disease, but so far three people infected have received an experimental drug.