Guinea Battles Ebola as Senegal Closes Its Border

Guinea is racing to contain the spread of the deadly Ebola virus, while neighboring Senegal has closed its southern land borders with Guinea.

Health officials in Guinea are on high alert after eight confirmed cases of Ebola, including one fatality turned up in Conakry, the capital city that is home to at least two million people.

Authorities say before the cases were confirmed in the capital, most of the people who tested positive for the deadly Ebola virus had been in the more rural southeastern region.
Senegal, in an attempt to prevent the virus from entering among its population, has closed border crossings with Guinea (in the southern region of Kolda and Kedougou).

The World Health Organization (WHO) says 70 people have died and more than 100 have been infected in Guinea since the start of the hemorrhagic fever outbreak.

Health officials say 11 people are suspected to have died of Ebola in recent days in Liberia and Sierra Leone.

West African foreign ministers said at a conference last week that the Ebola outbreak poses a "threat to regional security."

The Ebola virus is highly contagious. It causes symptoms that include high fever, vomiting, diarrhea and bleeding from the eyes, ears, nose and mouth.

Health officials are urging caretakers and funeral workers to minimize direct or close contact with those who may have been infected.