LOC10:01
07:01 GMT
WASHINGTON, July 31(KUNA) -- The Peace Corps announced Wednesday that it is "temporarily removing its volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the increasing spread of the Ebola virus."
The agency said in a statement that it "has been and will continue to closely monitor the outbreak of the virus in collaboration with leading experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Department of State."
It added "a determination on when volunteers can return will be made at a later date."
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program run by the United States government.
The agency indicated that in recent months, it has provided volunteers in adjacent areas of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea "with guidance to ensure they take the utmost precautions to protect their health."
"There are currently 102 volunteers in Guinea working in the areas of education, agriculture and health; and 108 volunteers in Liberia and 130 volunteers in Sierra Leone working in education.
"All Peace Corps programs have emergency action plans specific to that country in place, and staff and volunteers are trained and prepared to respond in situations like this one," the statement noted.
For her part, State Department Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf confirmed to reporters earlier Wednesday that a U.S. citizen died in Nigeria after contracting the virus in Liberia.
She added that "at least two additional United States citizens have been infected." (end)
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