GENEVA — 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.