Ebola cases in Sierra Leone show sharp increase; Band Aid to help
Official figures dash hopes that infection rate in West African nation is slowing
The number of new cases of Ebola disease in Sierra Leone has jumped dramatically, putting paid to any hopes that the infection rate is slowing.
Official figures released by the minister of health and sanitation show there were 111 new cases registered on Sunday, the highest daily rate since the ministry started publishing figures in August.
There were 45 new cases the day before, including 24 in the West African country's capital, Freetown.
There was also a sharp rise in the number of cases in Port Loko, a district north of Freetown where there is still no treatment centre and where, until recently, corpses were left lying on verandahs, in hospitals and in houses for days before collection.
The figures come days after warnings by the United Nations that Ebola cases in Sierra Leone are being under-reported by up to 50 per cent.
It is thought that some patients are still not turning up to hospital over fears that they will be turned away because there are no beds or that they will die isolated from their families.