Authorities in Mali confirmed two new Ebola deaths in the country since October when a two-year-old girl died from the disease.
The Associated Press reported that Malian officials have said that two more victims, including a 25-year-old nurse caring for an Ebola patient, died this week.
Reuters noted that these fatalities come as several people, believed to have had contact with the toddler who died last month, concluded their three-week quarantine. Now, healthcare workers are given the task of trying to locate anyone who may have had contact with the latest victims.
According to the World Health Organization, Ebola has claimed the lives of nearly 5,000 people since the first case was reported in West Africa several months ago.
While the outbreak has caused alarm in many parts of the globe, it has hit the countries Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia especially hard.
The virus is spread by close human contact and has a 70 percent fatality rate. It can shut down a victim’s organs and cause both internal and external bleeding.