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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Sierra Leone declares Ebola lockdown | Sierra Leone declares Ebola lockdown |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Sierra Leone - one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak - has announced a four-day lockdown to try to tackle the disease. | Sierra Leone - one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak - has announced a four-day lockdown to try to tackle the disease. |
| From 18 to 21 September people will not be allowed to leave their homes, a senior official said. | From 18 to 21 September people will not be allowed to leave their homes, a senior official said. |
| The aim of the move is to allow health workers to isolate new cases to prevent the disease from spreading further. | The aim of the move is to allow health workers to isolate new cases to prevent the disease from spreading further. |
| The outbreak has killed about 2,100 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria in recent months. | The outbreak has killed about 2,100 people in Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and Nigeria in recent months. |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) announced on Friday that health workers could be given vaccines as from November, when safety tests are completed. | |
| More than 20 health workers have lost their lives to the virus in Sierra Leone since the start of the outbreak in March. | More than 20 health workers have lost their lives to the virus in Sierra Leone since the start of the outbreak in March. |
| Ebola virus disease (EVD) | |
| Last month Liberia sealed off a large slum in the capital, Monrovia, for more than a week in an attempt to contain the virus. | |
| The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. | The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelope. |
| It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. | It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments. |
| Even though the country's security forces have already been deployed to quarantine certain areas, it remains unclear how such a countrywide lockdown can be enforced, the BBC's West Africa correspondent Thomas Fessy reports from Senegal. | |
| The population's willingness to obey will be key for it to succeed - a forcible implementation is likely to raise human rights issues and could potentially spark violent demonstrations, our correspondent adds. | |
| A presidential adviser described the measure as aggressive but argued that it was necessary to deal with the spread of Ebola. | |
| Meanwhile, officials in Nigeria have decided to reopen schools in the country from 22 September. | |
| They were closed as a precaution to prevent the spread of the virus. | |
| On Friday, the WHO announced that the blood of patients who recovered from Ebola should be used to treat others. | |
| People produce antibodies in the blood in an attempt to fight off an Ebola infection. The antibodies may be able to help a sick patient's immune system if they are transferred. | |
| However, large scale data on the effectiveness of the therapy is lacking. | |
| Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, including your contact details. | Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story? Email your experiences to haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk, including your contact details. |