A World Health Organisation deadline to halt the deadly Ebola outbreak in West Africa has only been met by Guinea, according to latest figures.

In October, the organisation launched its plan to isolate 70% of those infected and safely bury 70% of the victims in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone by 1 December.

But in Liberia, only 23% of cases are isolated and 26% of the needed burial teams are in place.

In Sierra Leone, around 40% of cases are isolated and 27% of burial teams are operational.

The Ebola outbreak was first reported in Guinea in March, and has spiralled out of control since a public health emergency was declared in August.

Dr Bruce Aylward, who is directing the WHO response to Ebola, said: "If we don't do it in 60 days and we take 90 days - number one, a lot more people will die that shouldn't; and number two, we will need that much more capacity on the ground to be able to manage the caseload."

The number of cases in Liberia and Guinea has declined or stabilised in the last few weeks, but the area around Sierra Leone's capital Freetown has seen a surge in cases.

Anthony Banbury, who is heading the UN response to the outbreak, said: "There are still going to be many people who catch the disease and many people who die from it."

The disease has infected more than 16,000 people, with nearly 7,000 people dying, according to WHO figures.

Last month, the US announced it was scaling back the size and number of Ebola clinics it had promised to build in Liberia.

The WHO aimed to isolate all Ebola patients and provide safe burials for all victims by 1 January.

(sky news)