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                 Nigeria Declares State of Emergency Over Ebola

   by VOA News

   Nigeria's president has declared a national emergency over the Ebola
   outbreak, while the World Health Organization says the epidemic now
   constitutes an international public health emergency.

   Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan Friday approved nearly $12 million
   of emergency funds to contain the outbreak, which has led to two deaths
   in the commercial capital, Lagos. President Jonathan also asked schools
   to extend their holidays and urged religious and political groups to
   avoid holding large gatherings that might spread the virus.

   Also Friday, the World Health Organization reported the number of
   deaths from the epidemic in four West African countries continues to
   rise. It said total number of cases stands at 1,779, and that 961 of
   those people have already died.

   The WHO declared the outbreak an international health emergency that
   requires an extraordinary response to stop its spread.

   At a news conference in Geneva, WHO director Dr. Margaret Chan said the
   four West African countries affected by Ebola "do not have the capacity
   to manage an outbreak of this size and complexity," and appealed for
   greater international aid.

   Authorities in Liberia and Sierra Leone have already declared public
   health emergencies and moved to limit people's movements in an effort
   to stop the virus from spreading.

   The current Ebola outbreak is on pace to infect more people than all
   previous outbreaks of the virus combined.

   On Thursday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
   activated its emergency operation center at the highest level in
   response to the outbreak.

   The CDC chief, Dr. Thomas Frieden, told a congressional hearing on
   Ebola that his agency will soon have 50 disease experts in West Africa,
   and that he is confident the virus will not result in any major
   outbreak in the United States.

   There is no known cure or vaccine for Ebola. Patients may experience
   fever, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and uncontrollable bleeding from
   all openings in the body, including the eyes, mouth and ears. Initial
   symptoms are often similar to malaria.

   Some information in this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/nigeria-declares-state-of-emergency-over-ebola/2407712.html