Liberian Health Minister Quarantines herself after her Office Assistant Died of Ebola

Liberia's chief medical officer, who is also a deputy health minister, has put herself in quarantine as a precaution against Ebola after one of her assistants died from the disease.

According to Reuters, Bernice Dahn is the latest senior West African medical official to be directly affected by an outbreak of Ebola, which has killed over 3,000 people as it spreads across most of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. "She has placed herself under self observation due to the fact that her special assistant contracted the virus," Isaac Jackson, Liberia's deputy information minister, told Reuters.

Jackson said that the government praised Dahn's decision to come forward to be monitored after potentially coming into contact with the disease.

    "If everyone were to do what Dr. Dahn has done, Liberia would be free of Ebola," he said.

The latest figures from the World Health Organisation show that the death toll from the worst outbreak of Ebola on record has killed at least 3,091 people, out of 6,574 probable, suspected and confirmed.