MOSCOW, September 19 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Sierra Leone, one of the three nations in West Africa that have found themselves at the center of Ebola outbreak, has imposed a three-day curfew to slow down the lethal virus disease, according to Agence France Press.
"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, was cited by AFP as saying Friday.
Starting at midnight on Friday, all residents in Sierra Leone will be confined to their homes to avoid contracting the deadly virus, which has already killed over 2,500 people.
The quarantine has not been imposed on medical aid workers and security personnel. During these three days, almost 30,000 volunteers are expected to go door-to-door and instruct the locals on preventative measures.
The Ebola virus is currently spreading across West Africa with cases registered in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through direct contact with the blood, body fluids or tissue of infected animals or people. There is no officially approved medication for the disease, and experts claim prevention is the only cure. Several countries, including Russia, the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Japan are currently working on vaccines, with the first live vaccine trial commencing at Oxford University Wednesday.
