Sierra leone declares health crisis

The president of Sierra Leone declared a public health emergency as the Ebola virus, blamed for nearly 700 deaths, spread across West Africa. He vowed to quarantine sick patients at home and conduct house-to-house searches for others who may have been exposed.

The announcement from President Ernest Bai Koroma late on Wednesday came as neighboring Liberia also ramped up its efforts to slow the virulent disease's spread, shutting down schools and ordering most public servants to stay home from work.

"Extraordinary challenges require extraordinary measures. The Ebola virus poses an extraordinary challenge to our nation," he said in a televised address to the nation.

AP-AFP

(China Daily 08/01/2014 page12)