Ebola virus death toll hits 1,069

GENEVA (AA) - The United Nations' health agency has announced that death toll from the deadly Ebola virus has reached to 1,069. 128 new Ebola cases were identified and 56 people died in West Africa from Sunday to Monday, according to a written statement issued by the World Health Organization, known by the initials WHO. 71 new cases were confirmed and 32 people died in Liberia, four new cases and four deaths were reported from Guinea, and 53 new cases and 19 deaths were seen in Sierra Leone in the span of the two days, the statement said. In total, 1,975 cases have been confirmed since the outbreak occurred in Guinea in March. Last week, the WHO’s emergency committee on Ebola declared the disease an international public health emergency, which marked the third time such a level of alarm has been raised. Ebola has no confirmed cure or vaccine yet. However, the U.S. sent an untested serum to Liberia for two ill Liberian doctors, while Canada sent a vaccine, which is on testing stage, to the WHO. The virus can be transmitted to humans from wild animals and also spreads through contact with the body fluids of an infected person or someone who has died of the disease.