text: NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, are donating $25 million to the CDC Foundation to help address the Ebola epidemic. 
   
   The money will be used by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Ebola response effort in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and elsewhere in the world where Ebola is a threat, the foundation said Tuesday. 
   
   The grant follows a $9 million donation made by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen last month. Zuckerberg and Chan are making the grant from their fund at the nonprofit Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 
   
   Also on Tuesday, the World Health Organization said West Africa could see up to 10,000 new Ebola cases a week within two months and confirmed that the death rate in the current outbreak is now 70 percent. The disease has killed more than 4,000 people, nearly all of them in West Africa. The WHO has called the outbreak "the most severe, acute health emergency seen in modern times." 
   
   "The most important step we can take is to stop Ebola at its source. The sooner the world comes together to help West Africa, the safer we all will be," said CDC Director Tom Frieden in a statement. ||||| DALLAS (AP) — They drew his blood, put tubes down his throat and wiped up his diarrhea. They analyzed his urine and wiped saliva from his lips, even after he had lost consciousness. 
   
   The emergency entrance to Texas Health Presbyterian hospital, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2014, in Dallas, Texas. Hospital officials have said they are no longer accepting new patients at this time after a healthcare... (Associated Press) 
   
   FILE - This undated file image made available by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) shows the Ebola virus. A Texas health care worker who provided hospital care for Thomas Eric Duncan, who later died... (Associated Press) 
   
   Protect Environmental workers move disposal barrels to a staging area outside the apartment of a healthcare worker who treated Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan and tested positive for the disease, Monday,... (Associated Press) 
   
   About 70 staff members at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital were involved in the care of Thomas Eric Duncan after he was hospitalized, including a nurse now being treated for the same Ebola virus that killed the Liberian man who was visiting Dallas, according to medical records his family provided to The Associated Press. 
   
   The size of the medical team reflects the hospital's intense effort to save Duncan's life, but it also suggests that many other people could have been exposed to the virus during Duncan's time in an isolation unit. 
   
   On Monday, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the infection of the nurse means the agency must broaden the pool of people getting close monitoring. Authorities have said they do not know how 26-year-old nurse Nina Pham was infected, but they suspect some kind of breach in the hospital's protocol. 
   
   The medical records given to the AP offer clues, both to what happened and who was involved, but the hospital said the CDC does not have them. 
   
   A CDC spokeswoman said the agency reviewed the medical records with Duncan's care team and concluded that the documents were not helpful in identifying those who interacted directly with the patient. 
   
   "This is not something we can afford to experiment with. We need to get this right," said Ruth McDermott-Levy, who directs the Center for Global and Public Health in Villanova University's College of Nursing. 
   
   Until now, the CDC has been actively monitoring 48 people who might have had contact with Duncan after he fell ill with an infection but before he was put in isolation. The number included 10 people known to have contact and 38 who may have had contact, including people he was staying with and health care professionals who attended to him during an emergency room visit from which he was sent home. None is sick. 
   
   The CDC has not yet established a firm number of health care workers who had contact with Duncan. 
   
   "If this one individual was infected — and we don't know how — within the isolation unit, then it is possible that other individuals could have been infected as well," said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the CDC. "We do not today have a number of such exposed people or potentially exposed health care workers. It's a relatively large number, we think in the end." 
   
   Caregivers who began treating Duncan after he tested positive for Ebola were following a "self-monitoring regimen" in which they were instructed to take their temperatures regularly and report any symptoms. But they were not considered at high risk. Pham went to the hospital Friday night after she took her temperature and found she had a fever. 
   
   Typically, the nurses, doctors and technicians caring for a contagious patient in isolation would be treating other people as well, and going home to their families after decontaminating themselves. The hospital has refused to answer questions about their specific duties. 
   
   The 1,400-plus pages of medical records show that nurses, doctors and other hospital employees wore face shields, double gowns, protective footwear and even hazmat suits to avoid touching any of Duncan's bodily fluids. Ebola spreads through direct contact with those fluids, usually blood, feces and vomit. The virus has also been detected in urine, semen and breast milk, and it may be in saliva and tears. 
   
   CDC officials said there were chinks in that protection at Texas Presbyterian, but they have not identified them and are investigating. 
   
   "Patient had large, extremely watery diarrhea," a nurse wrote in a report filed the day Duncan tested positive. 
   
   Another nurse noted that Duncan's urine was "darker in color with noted blood streaks." 
   
   It was unclear from the records released to the AP how many of the approximately 70 individuals involved in Duncan's care had direct contact with his body or fluids. 
   
   Dr. Aileen Marty, a World Health Organization doctor who recently returned to Florida International University after a month fighting Ebola in Nigeria, said no amount of protection is going to help if hospital workers do not put on and take off their protective layers carefully. 
   
   "The first thing in caring for someone with Ebola is to do everything in your power to never become a victim," she said. 
   
   And tracking all contacts, even within the medical setting, is complicated. 
   
   Generally, the first step in locating care providers for isolated infected patients is a personnel log on the door, "that should have everyone going in and out, signing in and out," said Dr. Lisa Esolen, Geisinger Health System's Medical Director of Health Services and Infection Prevention and Control. Medical records indicate the Dallas hospital had a log. 
   
   On the day before Duncan died, records indicate that at least nine caregivers entered and exited the room. 
   
   A spokesman for Texas Health Resources, the hospital's parent company, said the CDC probably has a log from the room door that would list everyone who got close to Duncan. 
   
   Dr. Christopher Ohl, who heads Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center's infectious-disease department and has worked with the CDC in the past, said the expanding monitoring "is an abundance of caution that's probably beyond what needs to be done" because medical caregivers will notice if they're getting a fever, and they're not contagious until that point. 
   
   "You start to know when you get those body aches and headaches, most people know that," he said. "It's not like you're surprised by it. Most people can figure out what to do when that happens." 
   
   ___ 
   
   Associated Press writers Maud Beelman and Jamie Stengle contributed to this report. ||||| The 33-year-old freelance cameraman who contracted Ebola in Liberia is fighting for his life at the University of Nebraska Medical Center this week. He’s also racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills. 
   
   According to a GoFundMe campaign launched Monday by his friends, Ashoka Mukpo’s medical bills could run in excess of $500,000. 
   
   The cost of the evacuation flight from Liberia to Omaha alone cost $150,000, not including the 40-person medical team that accompanied him on the flight, according to the campaign. Mukpo did have travelers’ insurance, but the policy excludes “catastrophic events or outbreaks,” and won’t pay for the treatment, the GoFundMe campaign says. 
   
   Related: 11 Ways to Fight Ebola and Other Diseases 
   
   Doctors at the Texas hospital who treated Thomas Eric Duncan, the Liberian national who became the first person to die of Ebola on U.S. soil, told Bloomberg that care can cost $1,000 per hour. 
   
   “We know that our original goal of $500,000 will likely not cover all of [Mukpo's] expenses, but we are doing all that we can to show our love and support,” friend Stephanie Federico writes on the GoFundMe campaign page. 
   
   So far, the campaign has received 206 donations, totaling just over $16,000. 
   
   Mukpo is reportedly in stable condition since returning to the states. On Thursday, he received a blood transfusion from Kent Brantley, the American doctor who recovered from the disease after treatment in Atlanta. 
   
   Update 10/15/2014: NBC has agreed to cover Mukpo's medical bills. Read more here. 
   
   Top Reads from The Fiscal Times: ||||| JOHANNESBURG (AP) — International aid organization Doctors Without Borders said that 16 of its staff members have been infected with Ebola and nine of them have died. 
   
   Speaking at a press conference in Johannesburg Tuesday, the head of Doctors Without Borders in South Africa Sharon Ekambaram said medical workers have received inadequate assistance from the international community. She said that while many pledges had been made publicly they have not improved the situation in the affected countries. 
   
   Juli Switala, a doctor working for the international aid organization who just returned from Sierra Leone, said the number of those who have died from Ebola is probably an underestimate because many families hide their sick and dying loved ones. More than 4,000 people have died from Ebola so far, according to the World Health Organization. ||||| Ashoka Mukpo is a 33 year-old freelance journalist and human rights advocate who worked in Liberia for 2 years with a local NGO focused on land development and workers’ rights. Ashoka is also a son, brother, uncle, fiance, friend and an inspiration to many. 
   
   
   
   While working in Liberia, Ashoka developed a strong connection to the people and their culture. Hearing of the Ebola crisis unfolding in this place where he was so warmly welcomed, he was compelled to return in order to report what was happening in Liberia. 
   
   
   
   Ashoka contracted Ebola while covering the outbreak. Ashoka quickly self-quarantined after feeling weak and achy, and a short time later he tested positive for the Ebola virus. Ashoka received care with MSF in Monrovia until he was transported back to the United States, where he is now recieving world class care at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. 
   
   
   
   We, some of his close friends, wanted to help provide support and possibly relieve some worry by establishing this GoFundMe campaign. NBC has been incredibly kind and supportive of Ashoka and his family during this scary time. We have just learned that NBC has committed to covering Ashoka’s medical expenses, which is monumental, and will allow Ashoka and his family to focus on his recovery. 
   
   
   
   In light of this excellent news, we are updating the amount being sought for Ashoka to reflect other expenses related to his recovery. There is also an option to refund donations that were already made, if you specifically wanted to contribute to his medical expenses. 
   
   
   
   Donated funds will now be directed toward replacing all of Ashoka’s gear and possessions (which had to be destroyed due to Ebola contamination and include his Apple computers, Ipad, Iphone, Canon cameras, lenses and recording equipment, camping gear and clothing), covering his travel expenses and helping him to recover and rebuild his life. Due to the nature of the work he has chosen to do, he does not have any “back up” funds to help cover such expenses. 
   
   
   
   We have every reason to believe that with time Ashoka will make a full recovery, and we want to support his ability to return to his great work bringing attention to people in need around the world. 
   
   
   
   We also want to express our incredible gratitude for the concern, kindness, generosity and prayers that are being directed toward Ashoka and his family. Thank you so much. 
   
   
   
   ||||| GENEVA (AP) — A World Health Organization official says the death rate in the current Ebola outbreak has increased to 70 percent. 
   
   WHO assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward gave the figure during a news conference Tuesday. 
   
   Aylward said that the 70 percent death rate was "a high mortality disease" in any circumstance and that the U.N. health agency was still focused on trying to get sick people isolated and provide treatment as early as possible. 
   
   Previously, WHO had said the death rate was around 50 percent. 
   
   THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below. 
   
   A World Health Organization official says there could be up to 10,000 new cases of Ebola per week within two months. 
   
   WHO assistant director-general Dr. Bruce Aylward says if the response to the Ebola crisis isn't stepped up within 60 days, "a lot more people will die" and there will be a huge need on the ground to deal with the spiraling numbers of cases. He said WHO estimated there could up to 10,000 cases per week in two months. 
   
   Aylward said for the last four weeks, there have been about 1,000 new cases per week, though that figure includes suspected, confirmed and probable cases. He said WHO is aiming to have 70 percent of cases isolated within two months to reverse the outbreak. 
   
   WHO increased its Ebola death toll tally to 4,447, nearly all of them in West Africa, and the group said the number of probable and suspected cases was 8,914. 
   
   Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia have been hardest hit. Aylward said WHO was very concerned about the continued spread of Ebola in the three countries' capital cities —Freetown, Conakry and Monrovia. He noted that while certain areas were seeing cases decline, "that doesn't mean they will get to zero." 
   
   He said the agency was still focused on trying to treat Ebola patients, despite the huge demands on the broken health systems in West Africa. 
   
   "It would be horrifically unethical to say that we're just going to isolate people," he said, noting that new strategies like handing out protective equipment to families and setting up very basic clinics — without much treatment — was a priority.
target: – Recent news on the Ebola outbreak paints a bleak portrait of the disease by numbers: 70%: The current death rate from the disease, the World Health Organization again confirmed today. That's an increase from the initial 50% cited by WHO, the AP reports. 10,000: The number of new Ebola cases WHO says are possible each week, starting at some point in the next two months. In other words, the effort to grapple with the disease needs a big boost within 60 days, says an official. 9: The number of workers for another health organization, Doctors Without Borders, who have died fighting the outbreak, the AP reports. An additional seven have been infected. 70: The number of health workers at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital who took care of the first US Ebola patient, Thomas Eric Duncan, who died of the virus. One of them is the nurse who's now suffering from the disease. $500,000: The potential cost of care for Ashoka Mukpo, a freelance cameraman who picked up Ebola in Liberia. His friends set up a crowdfunding campaign last week to help pay his bills, the Fiscal Times reports; you can contribute here. $32.6 billion: The possible economic toll the disease could take by the end of next year, the New York Times reports. The number comes from the World Bank and refers to a situation in which "the epidemic spreads into neighboring countries" around its center in West Africa. 4,447: The total number of deaths from the disease, per WHO, which says the total number of likely cases is 8,914. There's one non-grim number to add to the mix: $25 million, which is what Mark Zuckerberg and his wife are donating to the fight.