Ebola crisis: Sierra Leone Ebola lockdown ends

London, Sept 22: A three-day

aimed at containing the

outbreak in Sierra Leone ended and has been declared a success, media reported on Monday.

The wide-ranging curfew ended at midnight on Sunday and will not be extended, BBC reported.

The curfew in Sierra Leone came into force Friday morning, with most of the country's six million inhabitants confined to their homes.

Around 30,000 medical volunteers travelled to affected neighbourhoods to find and treat patients and distribute soap. Deputy Chief Medical Officer Sarian Kamara said authorities had managed to discover 22 new cases of the virus during the curfew.

Sierra Leone has witnessed 550 Ebola deaths so far

Kamara also said that between 60 and 70 Ebola victims had been buried in the past two days. Bodies of Ebola victims are highly contagious and their swift burial is considered the key to containing the disease.

The three-day curfew is the most aggressive measure taken by a West African country against the virus as yet.

Sierra Leone has been one of the countries worst affected by the outbreaks, with more than 550 victims among the 2,600 deaths so far recorded.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is the worst ever, the World Health Organization said. The deadly virus is transmitted through sweat, blood and saliva, and there is no proven cure.

IANS