Ebola outbreak could last for months, officials warn

Health officials say the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could last another two to four months in what they called one of the most challenging episodes of the disease that the international community has ever faced.

Ebola outbreak strikes West Africa
Dr. Keiji Fukuda of the World Health Organization said Tuesday that the current outbreak is especially difficult because of the wide area over which it has spread -- extending from Guinea's tropical forests to its capital and over the border into Liberia.

More than 100 deaths have been linked to the virus since the outbreak began earlier this year, and at least 150 illnesses have occurred, according to the WHO.

The majority of deaths - 95 - have occurred in Guinea, according to an April 7 statement from WHO, but 10 deaths have been reported in Liberia, five of which were laboratory-confirmed.

Senegal closed its border amid the "unprecedented" outbreak.

But officials also emphasized that they have traced the source of transmission in every sick person, an important step in controlling the disease.

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