West Africa Ebola death toll hits 337

June 28 TN

The death toll in West Africa´s three-nation Ebola outbreak has risen to 337, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, making it the deadliest ever outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever.

Fresh data from the UN health agency showed that the number of deaths in Guinea, the hardest-hit country, has reached 264, while 49 had died in Sierra Leone and 24 in Liberia.The new toll marks a more than 60-percent hike since the WHO´s last figure on June 4, when it said 208 people had succumbed to the deadly virus.Including the deaths, 528 people across the three countries have contracted Ebola, one of the deadliest viruses known to man, the WHO said.

Yet agency spokeswoman Fadela Chaib insisted the far higher number of cases did not mean the virus was spreading faster.There is no sudden rise," she said in an email to AFP, pointing out that the increase could be explained by the heightened vigilance in the region and the confirmation of previously suspected cases.Retroactive investigations were pushing up the numbers, she said, stressing that WHO´s toll should be seen as "provisional", since "new samples are being taken daily and tests are underway.