Sunday Times 2
Ebola toll passes 4,000 as fears grow worldwide
View(s):MADRID, Oct 11 (AFP) -The death toll from Ebola has passed 4,000, the World Health Organisation said, while a Madrid nurse was fighting for her life today as authorities worldwide tried to prevent panic over the deadly disease.
Javier Limon, husband of Spanish nurse Teresa Romero Ramos who contracted Ebola, stretches while looking out the window of an isolation ward at Madrid's Carlos III Hospital (REUTERS)
The WHO said 4,033 people have died from Ebola as of October 8 out of a total of 8,399 registered cases in seven countries. The sharp rise in deaths came as the UN said aid pledges to fight the outbreak have fallen well short of the $1 billion (800 million euros) needed.
Beyond west Africa, where almost all the deaths have occurred, fears grew about the worst-ever Ebola epidemic.
The Canadian government advised its citizens Friday to leave the West African countries hardest hit by Ebola, while taking measures at its own borders to screen for potentially exposed travelers.
The US and Britain also boosted screening at major airports.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicted the number of cases could reach 1.4 million by January unless strong measures are taken to contain the disease.
From Australia to Zimbabwe, and Brazil to Spain, people who showed signs of fever or had recent contact with Ebola victims were whisked into isolation units or ordered to stay in their homes.
Authorities warned that hoaxes could trigger panic as a man was taken off a US flight by a bio-hazard team after he sneezed and reportedly said: “I have Ebola. You are all screwed.” Serious concerns remained in Spain over how the virus could have spread in the country’s main isolation hospital.