Sierra Leone President declares public health emergency over Ebola

Medical staff working with Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) prepare to bring food to patients kept in an isolation area at the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, on July 20, 2014. Sierra Leone has declared a public health emerge
Medical staff working with Medecins sans Frontieres (MSF) prepare to bring food to patients kept in an isolation area at the MSF Ebola treatment centre in Kailahun, Sierra Leone, on July 20, 2014. Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola and will call in security forces to quarantine epicentres of the deadly virus, President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a statement. -- PHOTO: REUTERS
Updated
Jan 23, 2016, 10:18 PM
Published
Jul 31, 2014, 04:12 PM

FREETOWN (Reuters) - Sierra Leone has declared a public health emergency to tackle the worst-ever outbreak of Ebola and will call in security forces to quarantine epicentres of the deadly virus, President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a statement.

The measures resembled a tough anti-Ebola package announced by neighbouring Liberia on Wednesday evening.

Koroma also announced he was cancelling a visit to Washington for a United States-Africa summit next week because of the crisis.

Highly infectious Ebola has been blamed for 672 deaths in the West African nations of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, according to the World Health Organisation.

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