France's Hollande heads for Ebola-hit Guinea

Hollande was set to begin a visit to Guinea on Friday as the first non-African head of state to visit any of the three countries badly hit by the Ebola crisis.

The French president was expected to deliver a "message of solidarity" from France, and give his backing to the efforts of aid providers working there.

During the visit, Hollande was set to visit healthcare facilities, and take part in a round-table discussion on the Ebola outbreak, as well as hold talks with his Guinean counterpart Alpha Conde.

France has said it will give 100 million euros ($125 million) to the fight against Ebola, focusing its efforts on Guinea, where there are plans to finance several care centers.

Paris has also pledged to establish two training centres for health workers, one in France and one in Guinea. French biotechnology companies have also been drafted in to set up rapid diagnostic tests in Africa.

The contagion has killed nearly 5,700 people in the region, with Liberia tallying the most deaths. Sierra Leone, meanwhile, has seen the fastest rate of expansion, making Guinea's outbreak the least urgent by comparison.

However, officials and medical workers say aid efforts in Guinea - where the first instances off the latest outbreak were recorded - are still suffering from poor coordination.

Sierra Leone shutdown

The government of Sierra Leone on Thursday announced that a three-day shutdown of all businesses in the capital, Freetown, would begin on Friday in an attempt to curb the outbreak.

Shops, markets and traders are required to observe the shutdown, with only pharmacies being allowed to open. Freetown mayor Sam Franklyn Gibson also called on people to wear long-sleeved clothing to avoid involuntary skin contact.

The move comes two months after Sierra Leone declared a three-day lockdown, which health experts claim helped get the epidemic under control.

rc/jm (AFP, AP, dpa)