East Africa to send 600 health workers for Ebola fight

East African nations are sending over 600 health workers including 41 doctors to west Africa to combat the spread of Ebola, the regional five-nation bloc said in a statement Friday. The decision was made after health ministers met this week, where they raised their concern at the "rapid increase in the number of cases and deaths" from Ebola, the East African Community said in a statement. As of Sunday, 4,493 people had died out of a total of 8,997 cases in the outbreak, according to the World Health Organization, which has warned that the infection rate could reach 10,000 a week by early December. The 619 doctors and health workers will be sent from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. Kenya is sending 15 doctors while Uganda will send 14, as well as seven from Rwanda and five from Tanzania. Burundi is sending 250 health workers, and Kenya 300.