The ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa has claimed its first deaths in Sierra Leone.
The World Health Organization says according to "preliminary" field information, five people have died from the disease in the Sierra Leone town of Koindu. It says one case has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
Koindu is located near the Guinean town of Gueckedou, a hotspot in the Ebola outbreak that began in southwestern Guinea in February.
With the latest deaths, the disease has killed a total of 179 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The WHO said Monday it is working with Sierra Leonean authorities to contain the outbreak in Koindu.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, a measles-like rash, and bleeding through bodily openings.
The World Health Organization says according to "preliminary" field information, five people have died from the disease in the Sierra Leone town of Koindu. It says one case has been confirmed by laboratory tests.
Koindu is located near the Guinean town of Gueckedou, a hotspot in the Ebola outbreak that began in southwestern Guinea in February.
With the latest deaths, the disease has killed a total of 179 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The WHO said Monday it is working with Sierra Leonean authorities to contain the outbreak in Koindu.
The Ebola virus is transmitted through contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. Symptoms include fever, vomiting, a measles-like rash, and bleeding through bodily openings.