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Peace Corps pulls volunteers from West
Africa due to Ebola
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[July 31, 2014]
By Lesley Wroughton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Peace
Corps said on Wednesday it was pulling all 340 volunteers from Liberia,
Sierra Leone and Guinea because of the spreading Ebola virus that has
killed 672 people in the three countries since February.
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 A Peace Corps spokesperson said two volunteers were isolated and
under observation after being exposed to a person who later died of
Ebola.
"These volunteers are not symptomatic and are currently isolated and
under observation," the spokesperson said in a statement.
The Peace Corps, citing privacy concerns, declined to say where the
two volunteers had come into contact with the Ebola victim.
The two volunteers would return to the United States once they were
cleared to travel, the Peace Corps spokesperson added.
It is the worst outbreak on record of the deadly virus, according to
the World Health Organization. The virus is thought to stem from
wild animals like forest bats and is transmitted between humans by
touching victims or through bodily fluids.
Earlier, the Peace Corps said it was "temporarily removing its
volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the
increasing spread of the Ebola virus."
The Peace Corps currently has 102 volunteers in Guinea, 108 in
Liberia and 130 in Sierra Leone working in the areas of education,
health and agriculture.
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The State Department has confirmed that one U.S. citizen died from
Ebola in Nigeria after being infected in Liberia. Two other American
aid workers infected with Ebola - Dr. Kent Brantly and missionary
Nancy Writebol - are in serious condition, but have shown slight
improvement.
They were part of a team in Liberia from North Carolina-based
Christian relief groups Samaritan's Purse and SIM.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Sandra Maler, Peter
Cooney and Diane Craft)
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