About 200 people suspected of being newly infected with Ebola were quarantined in northern Sierra Leone, the World Food Programme said Tuesday as the outbreak spread across West Africa. The cases had all been reported this week in the town of Lunar in Port Loko district, said Glen Myers, a representative with the UN's food aid agency. Myers said the large number of new cases were "worrisome." Sierra Leone is one of the countries hardest hit by Ebola with 783 confirmed or suspected cases and 334 deaths as of August 15, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO said the number of deaths from Ebola has risen to 1,229 in West Africa. It said 2,240 suspected or confirmed cases have been reported in the region. From August 14 to 16, 113 new suspected and confirmed Ebola cases as well as 84 deaths were reported from Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone, the WHO said. The new figures were released a day after the WHO voiced opposition to Ebola-related travel and trade bans. The risk of getting infected with Ebola during travel was "low," it said. The current outbreak is caused by the most lethal strain in the family of Ebola viruses. Ebola causes massive haemorrhaging and has a fatality rate of up to 90 per cent. It is transmitted through contact with blood and other body fluids. -- SPA 21:42 LOCAL TIME 18:42 GMT تغريد
