FREETOWN, Sept 19 (AFP): Sierra Leone launched on Friday a controversial three-day shutdown to contain the deadly spread of the Ebola virus, as the UN Security Council declared the deadly outbreak a threat to world peace.
Most of Sierra Leone's population of six million were confined to their homes from midnight (0000 GMT), with only essential workers such as health professionals and security forces exempt from the lockdown.
Almost 30,000 volunteers will go door-to-door to educate locals and hand out soap, in an exercise that could lead to scores more patients and bodies being discovered in people's homes. Health experts have criticised the shutdown, arguing that coercive measures to stem the epidemic could backfire and would be extremely hard to implement.
Doctors Without Borders (MSF) warned that lockdowns may end up driving people underground "and jeopardise the trust between people and health providers".
But the government said it was determined to proceed with the move. "Rain or shine, the shutdown exercise is going to go ahead. During the three days... the job is going to get done," said Steven Gaojia, head of the government's emergency Ebola operation centre.
The extreme measure comes amid mounting global concern over the Ebola epidemic, which has so far killed more than 2,600 people in West Africa.
Paranoia over Ebola is so rife that in Guinea, seven people sent to educate villagers on the disease were found dead after coming under attack from locals who apparently feared the delegation meant them harm.
In New York, the 15-member United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution declaring that the "unprecedented extent of the Ebola outbreak in Africa constitutes a threat to international peace and security".
Xinhua adds: By the end of next year, the three core Ebola-hit countries in West Africa will have lost about 809 million U.S. dollars in their economies, the World Bank has predicted.
This projected loss will be the medium-term impact of the outbreak of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) on Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.
A release from the World Bank's Ghana office responsible for both Sierra Leone and Liberia said the bank "finds that if the virus continues to surge in the three worst-affected countries - Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, its economic impact could grow eight-fold, dealing a potentially catastrophic blow to the already fragile states".
