DHAKA: The death toll from the Ebola epidemic has risen to 4,922 out of 10,141 recorded infections, with three West African countries accounting for most of the cases through October 23, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have reported 4,912 deaths out of 10,114 cases, the WHO said in its update on Saturday.

The virus, which reached Mali through a two-year-old girl who died on Friday, now also threatens Ivory Coast, having infected people virtually all along its borders with Guinea and Liberia, the United Nations agency said.

Ivory Coast is the world's biggest cocoa producer, and the outbreak has hurt the economic growth that has been raising living standards in the region.

Source: aljazeera.com

BDST: 1026 HRS, OCT 26, 2014