THE TELEGRAPH 14 AUGUST 2014 - EBOLA OUTBREAK: US ORDERS EMBASSY FAMILIES OUT OF SIERRA LEONE

The United States told the families of its diplomats in Sierra Leone to leave the country to avoid exposure to the deadly Ebola epidemic. "The embassy recommended this step out of an abundance of caution," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said on Thursday, citing "a lack of options for routine health care services at major medical facilities due to the Ebola outbreak." Ms Harf said the State Department was also "reconfiguring" its staff at the embassy in Freetown to "be more responsive" to the crisis ravaging the country. "We remain deeply committed to supporting Sierra Leone and regional and international efforts to strengthen the capacity of the country's health care infrastructure and system - specifically, the capacity to contain and control the transmission of the Ebola virus and deliver health care," Ms Harf said in a statement. On August 7, the United States ordered families of embassy staff out of Liberia, another country hit by the world's biggest ever outbreak of Ebola. The news came as President Barack Obama said he called the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone Thursday to discuss the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the White House said. Mr Obama made calls to Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone. "In his conversations with both leaders, the president underscored the commitment of the United States to work with Liberia, Sierra Leone, and other international partners to contain the outbreak and expressed his condolences for the lives lost," the White House said. The death toll from the epidemic reached 1,069 on Wednesday, according to the World Health Organisation. LINK: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/ebola/11035267/Ebola-outbreak-US-orders-embassy-families-out-of-Sierra-Leone.html