Ebola toll at 7,373 in 3 countries

U.N. chief’s tour stops in Guinea; turnout low in Liberia vote

Liberian election workers watch Saturday in Monrovia as a woman washes her hands before voting in the country’s twice-delayed Senate election.
Liberian election workers watch Saturday in Monrovia as a woman washes her hands before voting in the country’s twice-delayed Senate election.

CONAKRY, Guinea -- The worst Ebola outbreak on record has now killed more than 7,000 people, with many of the latest deaths reported in Sierra Leone, the World Health Organization said as United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday continued his tour of Ebola-affected countries in West Africa.

The three countries hit hardest by Ebola have now recorded 7,373 deaths, up from 6,900 Wednesday, according to WHO figures posted online late Friday. A total of 392 of the new deaths were in Sierra Leone, where Ebola is spreading the fastest.

The new totals consist of confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola deaths. The WHO said there also have been six Ebola deaths in Mali, eight in Nigeria and one in the United States.

The total number of cases in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia now stands at 19,031, up from 18,569.

Ban arrived Saturday in Guinea, where the outbreak's first cases were confirmed in March, after touring Liberia and Sierra Leone on Friday. After meeting with President Alpha Conde, he expressed concern about the situation in the country's southeast forest region, where he said the number of infected people "seems to continue to grow." The region borders Liberia, Sierra Leone and Ivory Coast, and Ban called for cross-border collaboration to get the disease under control.

He urged all Guineans to commit themselves to eradicating Ebola, saying the U.N. and its partners "are there to help you."

"It has never been so important to work together," he said.

Guinea has recorded 2,453 Ebola deaths and 1,550 cases, according to the WHO. Last week, officials in Conakry, the capital, announced a ban on New Year's Eve celebrations such as fireworks displays and beach gatherings in a bid to curtail transmission.

Also Saturday, health workers carrying thermometers and sanitizers manned polling stations across Liberia as voters cast their ballots in a twice-delayed Senate election that has been criticized for its potential to spread Ebola.

A total of 1.9 million voters are registered to participate in 15 Senate races throughout the country contested by 139 candidates. But Jerome Korkoya, chairman of the National Elections Commission, said Saturday afternoon that turnout had been low.

"What bothers me is the low turnout, but I am not surprised," he said by telephone from Bong County, where he was casting his ballot. "That's what you find in most of the world now in a political process."

Originally scheduled for October, the vote was pushed back to Tuesday as Liberia struggled to contain Ebola, which has killed nearly 3,300 people in the country. Officials then pushed it back four more days to Saturday.

The disease appears to have slowed in recent weeks in Liberia, though critics questioned whether the vote could be conducted safely and credibly.

Liberian officials vowed to distribute 4,700 thermometers and 10,000 bottles of sanitizer to polling stations in preparation for Saturday's election. Last week, Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah warned that anyone running a temperature higher than 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit could be removed from the line and sent for screening.

Korkoya said Saturday that many of the thermometers were not delivered.

On his visit Friday, Ban urged Liberia voters to follow health guidelines "to protect yourself and your loved ones" from the disease, which is spread through contact with the bodily fluids of sick people.

"This election will give Liberia and its people an opportunity to show the world how far it has come," Ban said.

The most high-profile race, in Monrovia's Montserrado County, pits opposition leader George Weah against Robert Sirleaf, son of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

Weah, a former soccer star who won the first round of voting for president in 2005 before losing in a runoff, said Saturday that he would "flog" Robert Sirleaf, whom he described as "unpopular."

Sirleaf could not be reached Saturday, but his campaign spokesman said he believed Sirleaf had won.

Election results could come in as early as today, Korkoya said.

Meanwhile, a Sierra Leone military official said the country is withdrawing from the African Union peacekeeping force in Somalia after being blocked from rotating its soldiers over concerns about the spread of Ebola.

Maj. Gen. Samuel Omar Williams, the chief of defense staff, said Saturday that the troops currently in Somalia will be sent back to Freetown in January "and will not be replaced."

In a statement Saturday, the African Union mission said 850 Sierra Leone troops deployed for 12 months starting in 2013, but the union halted their rotation in response to Ebola, which the WHO says has killed more than 2,400 people in Sierra Leone.

The mission said Sierra Leone's soldiers will be replaced by soldiers from other countries "until the virus has been fully contained."

Information for this article was contributed by Jonathan Paye-Layleh and staff members of The Associated Press.

A Section on 12/21/2014

Upcoming Events