03 Jun 2014
Reports of an Ebola virus outbreak in Sierra Leone have prompted a British mining firm to pull out some of its workers from the country.
London Mining is restricting travel around its facility at Marampa in the west African nation and is in close contact with health agencies.
It has decided to evacuate workers that are not essential to its Marampa operation and has managed to maintain production levels.
The move comes after officials reported two deaths and 12 other cases of the deadly and highly contagious virus. There have been other cases in neighbouring countries Guinea and Liberia.
London Mining has not been informed of any cases of Ebola Fever among its employees at the mine or in people living nearby but has been advised to restrict travel and it is also raising knowledge about the virus among its workers. It said some non-essential members of staff have been able to leave the country.
It says it is monitoring the health of its remaining employees at the mine, screening visitors and making sure its medical staff have the right equipment and drugs in case of an outbreak.
According to the World Health Organisation around 70% of those suffering from the Ebola virus in the current outbreak are expected to die. Symptoms include severe bleeding and a high fever.
Copyright Press Association 2014