MONROVIA, September 19 (LINA) -Liberia’s total confirmed deaths from the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) as at September 17 stand at 900, according to the an official of the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

Assistant Health Minister for Preventive Services, Tolbert Nyenswah, also put the total number of cumulative cases at 3,017, with 817 suspected, while 1,339 are probable and a total of 861as confirmed cases.
Cumulative deaths stand at 1,567, with 900 confirmed as Ebola deaths, while the combined suspected and probable deaths are 667.
Total cumulative cases among healthcare workers are 173, while the cumulative deaths stand at 83, the health ministry official said.Liberia’s confirmed and probable case fatality rate now remains at 54.8 percent, Nyenswah disclosed Friday at the Ministry of Information special press conference in Monrovia.
Cumulative deaths is the total number of deaths occurring during the period of an epidemic, while confirmed deaths are those that are caused as a result of contracting the epidemic or disease.He said efforts have been increasingly stepped up by government in collaboration with the international community to firmly break the chain of transmission of the disease.
Nyenswah, who heads the Incidence Management System on EVD, said the current boost given to Liberia by the U.S government and international community confirms that there still remains hope for the disease to be eradicated in the shortest possible time.
At the same time, Nyenswah has said the Bushord Island region needs to be treated as “high priority” given the alarming rate of EVD cases being reported in that area.
He called on Liberians to support the efforts of health teams by reporting cases of the virus on time for immediate response to save the lives of innocent Liberians.LINA WSG/TSS/PTK