The World Health Organization (W.H.O) says the toll in the Ebola epidemic has risen to 5,420 deaths out of 15,145 cases in eight countries.
The WHO also says transmission of the deadly virus is still “intense and widespread” in Sierra Leone.
The figures, through November 16, represents a jump of 243 deaths and 732 cases since those issued last Friday, and the WHO says cases continue to be under-reported.
Sierra Leone, a former British colony, confirmed 533 new cases in the week to November 16.
There is growing awareness on the need to conduct safe burials for suspected Ebola victims in Sierra Leone.
The Ebola virus is highly infectious and remains active in the corpses of victims, only specialized teams in protective clothing are allowed to remove and dispose of the bodies.
Each team has 12 workers and every member of a team earns about $100 a week.
However, the bureaucracy of the safe burial procedure is creating confusion for some.
Brother of an infected victim, Sahid Hassan Jalloh, said, “They had me give a funeral to another person who they said is my sister, but who is not. It really pains me because I know who my sister was to me and now they just dumped her like a commoner and she was a devout person.”
Meanwhile, A Royal Netherlands Navy ship arrived in Sierra Leone on Wednesday delivering vehicles and materials, adding to the European Union’s Ebola response.
Collectively, member states and the European Commission have contributed more than 900 million euros to its Ebola response.
The Head of European Union’s delegation to Sierra Leone, Peter Versteeg said, “The presence of international vessels such as this ship provided by the Dutch Government and also the ship that is in port from the UK Government is critical to helping to assure the Sierra Leonean people that the EU is showing its solidarity. The EU is here to help them in this time of crisis and we plan to stay until the crisis is resolved.”
As the battle to contain the Ebola virus continues, the World Health Organization says it is too early to evaluate its response to the outbreak.
