International community gathers at Ebola conference

International community gathers at Ebola conference

Key figures from the international community will gather in London to discuss how to stop the Ebola crisis ravaging west Africa.
Participating countries will meet to discuss what can be done to slow the worst ever outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has so far claimed more than 3,000 lives, according to the World Health Organisation.
Sierra Leone and the UK are expected to urge officials to contribute extra funding for extra hospital beds and staff. 

Five new Ebola cases an hour' in Sierra Leone

A charity has warned that Ebola is spreading at a rate of five cases per hour in Sierra Leone, overwhelming the country's medical resources.

Save the Children said there were 765 new cases of the deadly virus in the west African state last week, with just 327 beds for the infected.

A volunteer medical team in Sierra Leone wearing special protective uniforms. Credit: TT News Agency/Press Association Images

There have now been over 7,000 cases of the disease worldwide, with 3,338 deaths.
The majority of the casualties have been in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea.

Sierra Leone President will not attend conference

President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, will not be attending an international conference on the Ebola crisis taking place in London according to the Foreign Office.

Unfortunately the President of Sierra Leone is now unable to attend the defeating Ebola conference. The chartered plane he was scheduled to fly on experienced significant technical difficulties prior to take off. We are currently exploring alternative ways for him to participate.

– Foreign Office spokesman