The horrifying truth of Ebola: WHO suggests 10,000 could become infected per week

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a dire warning to the world. On October 14 they announced that the death rate of the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa is now 70%, much higher than usual. Even more horrifying, the WHO has stated that West Africa could soon see 10,000 new cases of Ebola each week.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - Dr. Bruce Aylward, the assistant director-general of the WHO, gave the warning at a Geneva news conference. Previously, the mortality rate among those infected with Ebola was 50%. He also said that the United Nations is still trying to focus on isolating those infected with the disease, and provide early treatment.

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Experts currently say that the Ebola epidemic is doubling in size about every three weeks.

Today, the WHO raised the death toll to 4,447 people, and say that 8,900 people are currently infected.

Currently, health workers in the three hardest hit countries-Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone-are suffering greatly. The Doctors Without Borders organization has said that 16 of its workers have become infected, and nine have died.

In Johannesburg, Sharon Ekambaram, the head of the group's South African unit, said that health workers are not receiving adequate assistance or equipment from the international community.

'Where is WHO Africa? Where is the African Union?" she said. "We've all heard their promises in the media but have seen very little on the ground."

Since September, there have been about 1,000 new cases of Ebola per week, a rough estimate based on suspected, confirmed and probable cases. Aylward says the WHO is going to try to isolate 70% of the infected, and have 70% of the corpses safely buried by December in order to start containing the outbreak.

He said that there is no current evidence that other countries are hiding Ebola cases, but he did acknowledge that neighboring nations are at high risk of suffering an outbreak.

"This is not a virus that's easy to suppress or hide," he said. "I don't expect this virus to just go anywhere. There is exit screening in place and sick people won't be moving."

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