United Nations, Sha'ban 22, 1435, Jun 20, 2014, SPA -- The death toll from an outbreak of Ebola in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone has hit 337 since February, a UN spokesman said here Wednesday, quoting data from the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO said 47 new cases and 14 deaths had been reported in the region in the last week alone, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here. "Guinea remains the worst affected country, with 264 Ebola- related deaths, but the toll in Sierra Leone and Liberia has recently spiked, hitting 49 and 24 respectively," Xinhua quoted Haq as saying. "WHO and partners continue to provide the necessary technical expertise to the Ministries of Health to stop community and health facility transmission of the virus," he said. The WHO defines the Ebola virus disease, formerly known as EHF, as "a severe, often fatal illness" and "one of the world's most virulent diseases." --SPA 15:23 LOCAL TIME 12:23 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w