World Health Organization (WHO) Assistant Director General Bruce Aylward speaks during a press briefing on WHO's strategy to combat Ebola, which has killed almost 5,000 people, mainly in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia. (Pierre Albouy/Reuters)
The Ebola death toll is likely over 5,000 out of 13,703 cases worldwide, the World Health Organization says.
Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO assistant director-general in charge of the operational response, gave the update to reporters on Wednesday.
In Liberia, there are signs of progress, such as decline in burial numbers and lab-confirmed cases that appear to have plateaued, Alyward said. That could be thanks to community engagement and safe burials.
He said he's cautiously optimistic that the rate of new infections in Liberia seems to be slowing.
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