Science

Farmers in Sierra Leone Have Deserted their Land During the Ebola Outbreak

Overall, cases were doubling every four weeks, said Dr Nuttall, the WHO's Director of Global Capacities Alerts and Response, and the death toll was expected to go above 4,500 this week. Countries in the region must be prepared, she said, listing Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Ghana, Mauritania, Nigeria, South Sudan, and Togo. She highlighted four nations directly bordering the worst affected area - Ivory Coast, Guinea Bissau, Mali and Senegal.  "We will ramp up our support to the countries. We will work with them on a plan. But a plan needs to be changed into action."

Action will Include:

Rapid response teams

Engaging at community level

Training in infection prevention and protection

Having laboratories in place

Earlier, the WHO said the introduction of Ebola in the US and elsewhere was a matter of concern, but a major outbreak was unlikely given the strength of health systems in the West. In another development, the European Union is to examine whether exit screening at West African airports is effective.

EU health ministers also agreed to try to co-ordinate measures taken at EU airports. Some countries, such as the UK, have introduced screening.