ADVERTISEMENTIt has been called the deadliest Ebola outbreak in history and the virus is continuing to spread in West Africa.
Twenty-one people died in just two days alone in July in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said the deaths happened between July 6 and 8, adding there were 44 news cases reported during that time
It brings the total of deaths in West Africa to 539 since February with 888 cases recorded.
“The epidemic trend in Liberia and Sierra Leone remains precarious with high numbers of new cases and deaths being reported,” the WHO said.
At the beginning of July, health ministers from the three countries met at an emergency meeting in Accra in Ghana. Ministers from eight other African countries at risk joined them.
They adopted a new strategy to fight the epidemic which includes better surveillance to detect cases of the virus, improving cross-border collaboration, working with local communities and setting up a control centre in Guinea to coordinate technical support. They will also work closely with the WHO and other global partners.
On Twitter, advice from Sierra Leone’s health ministry was retweeted with encouragement for people to donate to charity.
Some scary advice on dealing with the Ebola virus. On the other hand, you could always donate: http://t.co/v0dtg64RPTpic.twitter.com/mFLOqOLDpw
— Graham Salisbury (@grahamsalisbury) 10 Juillet 2014
Ebola first surfaced in the 1970s in Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Bats are believed to be the main carrier of the virus. It is then transmitted through contact with an infected person’s blood or body fluids.
The virus causes vomiting and diarrhoea, harms kidney and liver function and can then cause internal and external bleeding.