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| Bodies found after Ebola health workers go missing in Guinea | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Guinea officials said that they have found eight bodies after a team of health workers went missing during a push to raise awareness of the outbreak of Ebola which started in the country nine months ago. | |
| Six members of the team – three journalists and the director and two senior doctors of the regional hospital – were set upon by angry residents in the remote village of Womey, where many remain in denial about the disease, or suspicious of foreign health workers. The six have been missing since Tuesday. Officials said all six were held captive, although attempts to reach them stalled after angry residents destroyed bridges leading to the village. | Six members of the team – three journalists and the director and two senior doctors of the regional hospital – were set upon by angry residents in the remote village of Womey, where many remain in denial about the disease, or suspicious of foreign health workers. The six have been missing since Tuesday. Officials said all six were held captive, although attempts to reach them stalled after angry residents destroyed bridges leading to the village. |
| "The meeting started off well; the traditional chiefs welcomed the delegation with 10 kola nuts as a traditional greeting," said a local resident who was present at the meeting earlier this week and gave only his first name, Yves. "It was afterwards that some youths came out and started stoning them. They dragged some of them away, and damaged their vehicles." | "The meeting started off well; the traditional chiefs welcomed the delegation with 10 kola nuts as a traditional greeting," said a local resident who was present at the meeting earlier this week and gave only his first name, Yves. "It was afterwards that some youths came out and started stoning them. They dragged some of them away, and damaged their vehicles." |
| A government spokesman, Damantang Albert Camara told Reuters: "The eight bodies were found in the village latrine. Three of them had their throats slit." | |
| The Ebola outbreak across five west African countries has spiralled into the world's biggest ever epidemic, with more than 700 cases – out of roughly 5,300 overall – emerging in the past week alone, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. | The Ebola outbreak across five west African countries has spiralled into the world's biggest ever epidemic, with more than 700 cases – out of roughly 5,300 overall – emerging in the past week alone, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. |
| The WHO said there was a desperate shortage of health workers and supplies in an epidemic likely to last many more months. Health workers across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where most of the cases are, have been periodically attacked by citizens in a region experiencing the deadly virus for the first time. | The WHO said there was a desperate shortage of health workers and supplies in an epidemic likely to last many more months. Health workers across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, where most of the cases are, have been periodically attacked by citizens in a region experiencing the deadly virus for the first time. |
| The district of Nzérékoré, where the team disappeared, exploded in clashes after health workers tried to spray the local market last month. Some 50 people were arrested, and two dozen police officers sent in to quell the riots were injured. | The district of Nzérékoré, where the team disappeared, exploded in clashes after health workers tried to spray the local market last month. Some 50 people were arrested, and two dozen police officers sent in to quell the riots were injured. |
| In Sierra Leone, almost 30,000 volunteers will go house-to-house to raise awareness of the disease during a three-day "lockdown", when residents have been asked to remain at home. Thousands of soldiers are to enforce the curfew, due to start at midnight on Thursday. | In Sierra Leone, almost 30,000 volunteers will go house-to-house to raise awareness of the disease during a three-day "lockdown", when residents have been asked to remain at home. Thousands of soldiers are to enforce the curfew, due to start at midnight on Thursday. |
| A sluggish international response to the crisis has picked up in recent days. The US will send 3,000 troops to Liberia to help provide desperately-needed boots on the ground in the country hardest hit by the outbreak. | A sluggish international response to the crisis has picked up in recent days. The US will send 3,000 troops to Liberia to help provide desperately-needed boots on the ground in the country hardest hit by the outbreak. |
| France's president, François Hollande, said the former colonial power would set up a military hospital to help tackle the disease in Guinea. | France's president, François Hollande, said the former colonial power would set up a military hospital to help tackle the disease in Guinea. |
| After an emergency United Nations meeting on Thursday, Brice de le Vingne, director of operations at Médecins Sans Frontières, said: "Other countries must commit to deploying assets and staff to the affected region as soon as possible. It is impossible to predict if the current pledges are enough because we do not know how the situation will degenerate in the coming weeks. There is no response too large." | After an emergency United Nations meeting on Thursday, Brice de le Vingne, director of operations at Médecins Sans Frontières, said: "Other countries must commit to deploying assets and staff to the affected region as soon as possible. It is impossible to predict if the current pledges are enough because we do not know how the situation will degenerate in the coming weeks. There is no response too large." |