Photos: Muslim pilgrims from Nigeria checked for Ebola virus on their way to Mecca today

Muslim pilgrims on their way to Mecca were tested for the Ebola virus at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport in Lagos today prior to their trip to the Islamic holy city.

More than 200 Muslims from Oyo State in southwest Nigeria underwent stringent health checks by Nigerian health officials

Nigeria is the only country in the region, which has been affected by Ebola that has clearance to send pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for the Hajj.

More than 700 more Ebola cases emerged in West Africa in one week, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said, showing that the outbreak is accelerating.

Just three weeks ago the number of new cases was around 500 for a seven-day period.

The number of people believed to have been killed is now more than 2,600, an increase of roughly 200 from the last estimate, the WHO said. Most deaths have been in Liberia.

The new figures from the UN health agency show that the disease is thought to have affected more than 5,300 people. Just under half of those cases were recorded in the last three weeks.

Some 318 healthcare workers have fallen ill, and about half have died.

The outbreak has struck Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Nigeria and Senegal.