At least 61 people have died due to the outbreak of the virulent disease Ebola in Guinea since January, the country's Ministry of Health said on Saturday.

The ministry also revealed that 109 people have also been confirmed to have the deadly Ebola virus. Health official are now closely monitoring the health of those infected by the virus, authorities said.

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The number of cases was established following the biological tests conducted by Guinean and international health experts. The test was conducted on persons suspected of having the virus from January to April of this year.

In the capital city of Conakry, authorities registered 15 fatalities and 36 suspected cases, while the town of Gueckedou in the southern part of Guinea, authorities saw 36 deaths and 55 confirmed Ebola cases.

In Macenta, a southeastern town, two people were confirmed dead while 13 confirmed cases were reported. One death each was also recorded in the cities of Kissidougou and Dabola.

The World Health Organization also confirmed the findings of Guinean and international experts by saying the Ebola virus already killed 61 persons in the country. The WHO said 158 persons have been tested for infection with 109 cases confirmed by laboratory tests.

Discovered in 1976 during simultaneous outbreaks in Congo and Sudan, the deadly Ebola virus remains incurable up to this day. The virus has a fatality rate of up to 90 percent, health officials said.

Ebola virus is a fatal illness that has been considered as one of the world's most virulent diseases, the WHO said on its website.

The European Union on Friday said it will step up efforts to contain the spread of the virus and provide assistance to those that are already infected by the deadly disease.

In a statement, EU said the European Commission has increased its Ebola fund to around US $1.5 million to provide immediate health assistance as well as risk assessments to in West Africa.