China goes ahead with its anti-Ebola aid(3)

The WHO on Friday unveiled its latest revised figures, saying 4,951 people had died of Ebola in eight countries and a total of 13,567 Ebola cases were reported, as of October 29.

Earlier this week the WHO had reported 4,922 deaths and 13,703 cases, most deaths were in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

It said the case figure was revised down after finding that some cases, particularly in Guinea, were not actually Ebola.

The latest WHO figures showed Liberia with 2,413 deaths in 6,535 cases of Ebola, Sierra Leone with 1,510 deaths in 5,338 cases, and Guinea with 1,018 deaths in 1,667 cases.

Meanwhile, the organization on Friday published recommendations on personal safety protection to health workers for treating patients with filovirus infection, including Ebola and Marburg.

The guideline listed a dozen recommendations, from head to toe.

On top of the list is the protection of one's eyes, nose and mouth, as the main route of infection is through contact of contaminated blood or other bodily fluids like vomit and sweat, with the mucous membranes.

The experts recommended health workers have these organs covered with personal protective equipment (PPE) whenever they provide clinical care. Choices include face shields, goggles and medical masks.

A second area the guideline focused on is the protection of hands. Double gloves are recommended to reduce the potential risk of transmission due to glove holes, or chemical erosion.

Although PPE is the most visible control to prevent transmission, the WHO says that it must be used together with other means of controls, including facilities protecting nursing areas, water and sanitation, and waste management and ventilation.