US orders embassy families to leave Sierra Leone amid Ebola outbreak

The United States on Thursday ordered the departure of families of its diplomats from Sierra Leone as the Ebola epidemic swept the country in a deadly march.

"The Embassy recommended this step out of an abundance of caution," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf said in a statement, adding that "there is a lack of options for routine health care services at major medical facilities due to the Ebola outbreak."

The United States remains deeply committed to supporting Sierra Leone in strengthening its capacity to contain and control the transmission of the Ebola virus, she added.

The death toll from the epidemic has reached 1,069 on Wednesday, according to the World Health Organization.