Ebola Outbreak: Sierra Leone Confirms First Deaths

Four people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone, the first confirmed cases in the country following an outbreak in Guinea, the health ministry has said.

They died in the eastern Kailahun district, which borders southern Guinea where the outbreak started in March and has killed more than 145 people.

There is no cure or vaccine for Ebola - one of the world's deadliest viruses.

But people have a better chance of surviving if it is identified early and they get supportive medical care.

Ebola can kill up to 90% of those infected and is passed on through contact with the fluids of infected people or animals, such as urine, sweat and blood.

'Scared'

Dr Amara Jambai, the director of disease prevention and control at Sierra Leone's health ministry, said a health worker was among the four people who had died of Ebola.

The deaths had occurred over the last three to four days, he said.

People who developed a fever should immediately report a medical facility and an emergency medical team has been deployed to the remote area, Dr Jambai said.