Ebola deaths reported till now may be the tip of the iceberg

The deadly Ebola epidemic is now assuming immense proportions because, in Sierra Leone, dead bodies have been found piled up near a diamond mine in Kono.
As per reports of the World Health Organization, they have uncovered a "grim scene" in the eastern district of Kono where a WHO response team had gone to investigate a sharp rise in Ebola cases. This epidemic has taken 6,346 lives in West Africa, with more than 17,800 infected and Sierra Leone has the highest number of Ebola cases with 7,897 cases eported since the beginning of the outbreak.
WHO has, over 11 days in Kono, had two teams bury 87 bodies – the team consisted of a nurse, an ambulance driver, and a janitor. They had been drafted to remove the bodies as they piled up. Such bodies are highly infectious and safe burials are vital to prevent the transmission of the disease.
The response team had also found 25 people who had died in the past five days piled up in a cordoned section of the local hospital.
The district of Kono with over 350,000 inhabitants had reported 119 cases up to 9 December and, in view of WHO revelations, the authorities in Sierra Leone have decided to put Kono district on "lockdown" from 10 to 23 December to try and contain the outbreak.
During the lockdown period, no-one will be able to enter or leave the district but they can move around freely within it.

North Korea woos foreign tourists – launches website

North Korea wants foreign tourists. The country, known as the Hermit Kingdom, has launched a website to lure in foreign tourists. The Korean-language website is complete with pictures of happy looking children, pools, a ski resort --and missiles. It showcases attractions of the country in the form of a pyramid-themed water park, children in traditional dress, and statues of Dictator Kim Jong-Un.
The website contains information about hotels tours and flight schedules from cities like Beijing and Vladivostok. And there is a section on the reclusive nation's political ideology and photos of short-range missiles.
In spite of a restrictive travel ban due to the Ebola outbreak, North Korea has been trying to attract foreign tourists and their money. It has opened the Masik Pass ski area which is billed as the "most exotic ski resort on Earth" and offers surfing tours along the east coast.
It seems nearly 237,000 tourist had visited North Korea in 2012 – most of them hailed from China. Westerners also visited but only a tiny fraction, with some estimates at about 4-5000.
North Korea is mired in controversies of human rights abuse and violations and foreign visitors should bear in mind the fact that they must book their tours through an accredited company and cannot move about on their own but must be accompanied at all times by foreign and North Korean guides.