FREETOWN — The Sierra Leone government has announced a state of emergency in the Kailahun district from the outbreak of the Ebola virus which has claimed 17 lives in this West African nation. According to government figures released Thursday, there are 46 confirmed cases and another 122 suspected ones in the district near the border with Liberia. The statement Wednesday night said all schools will be closed to minimize transmission, while public gatherings including cinemas and night clubs would be prohibited. At least 231 people have died since the outbreak of the fearsome disease, which causes bleeding internally and externally and for which there is no known cure. Guinea, where the outbreak began, has recorded just over 200 deaths. It has also spread to Liberia, which has recorded around a dozen deaths. – AP
