Sierra Leone President Orders Three-Day Shutdown Over Ebola Outbreak

Sierra Leone has launched a three-day shutdown in order to prevent the further spread of the deadly Ebola virus in the country.

On Friday, the government of Sierra Leone said the country was observing a shutdown as some 30,000 volunteers were expected to go door-to-door to educate people on the virus. Most of the West African country’s six-million population, with the exception of health professionals and security forces, are to remain indoors during the time period. Despite criticism from some health professionals that the shutdown could backfire, Sierra Leone has insisted on going ahead with the measure. “Rain or shine, the shutdown exercise is going to go ahead. During the three days... the job is going to get done,” Steven Gaojia, the head of the government’s emergency Ebola operation center, said. This comes shortly after the United Nations Security Council urged the world to provide help to the countries affected by Ebola, calling the disease a threat to international peace and security.

According to the World Health Organization, at least 2,630 people have died of Ebola so far, while over 5,350 others are infected.Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also be spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. There is currently no known cure for Ebola. Nigeria has also been hit by the epidemic in addition to Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.