Geneva, July 2 (IANS): The number of people killed by the Ebola virus in West Africa has reached 11,220, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said in a report.

A total of 27,514 cases of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) have been reported since the start of the disease outbreak, a statement issued on Wednesday said.

According to the figures, the maximum number of Ebola-related deaths has been registered in Liberia. There have been a total of 4,806 deaths and 10,666 cases in the country, TASS news agency reported.

Liberia is followed by Sierra Leone (3,932 deaths and 13,119 cases) and Guinea (2,482 and 3,729 respectively).

Separate cases have also been registered in Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Spain, Britain and the US.

EVD, earlier known as the Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a severe illness in humans, often fatal, according to the WHO. The virus is passed on to people from wild animals and can be transmitted from humans to humans. The average EVD case death rate is some 50 percent.

The first outbreaks of the EVD occurred in remote Central African villages, near tropical rainforests. However, major urban and rural areas have been affected in the most recent outbreak in Western Africa.

Early supportive care, which includes rehydration and symptomatic treatment, improves the survival rate.