Troops deployed to fight deadly ebola outbreak

Hundreds of troops have been deployed in Sierra Leone and Liberia under an emergency plan to fight the worst outbreak of the deadly ebola virus, which has killed more than 826 people across West Africa.

Panic among local communities, which have attacked health workers and threatened to burn down isolation wards, prompted regional governments to impose tough measures last week, including the closure of schools and quarantine of the remote forest region hardest hit by the disease.

The virus, which has no known cure, has infected more than 1,400 people in its first outbreak in West Africa, straining the capacity of under-funded health systems and aid groups to breaking point.