Ebola cases could hit 10,000 per week in two months - WHO

The death rate in the Ebola outbreak has risen to 70 percent and there could be up to 10,000 new cases a week in two months, the World Health Organization warned yesterday.

WHO assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward gave the grim figures during a news conference in Geneva. Previously, WHO had estimated the death rate in the current outbreak at around 50 percent.

Aylward said the 70 percent death rate was "a high mortality disease" in any circumstance and that the U.N. health agency was still focused on trying to get sick people isolated and provide treatment as early as possible.

If the world's response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, WHO warned that many more were at risk of losing their lives and there will be a huge need to deal with the spiraling numbers of cases.

For the last four weeks, there have been about 1,000 new cases per week, including suspected, confirmed and probable cases and the U.N. health agency is aiming to get 70 percent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak.

WHO increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4,447 people on Tuesday, nearly all of them in West Africa, from 8,914 cases.