Efforts to beat ebola intensify

The West African countries hit hardest by ebola are ramping up efforts to eradicate the deadly disease using lockdowns, restrictions on burials and a warning to survivors about the potential dangers of unprotected sex.

The region’s ebola outbreak has killed more than 10,000 people since cases were first recorded more than a year ago, with most of the dead coming from Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia.

Sierra Leone imposed a three-day lockdown that officials hoped would help the country get “total control” over ebola. The lockdown was expected to conclude last night.

In neighbouring Guinea, president Alpha Conde announced that emergency steps would be “reinforced” for a 45-day period in five districts in the west of the country.

Conde also said lockdown measures could be implemented as needed.

In Liberia, the government issued a statement yesterday warning survivors of ebola to abstain from unprotected sex even beyond the 90-day period earlier recommended. The statement was prompted by confusion about whether the latest ebola sufferer contracted it sexually.

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