News: Experimental Ebola drugs to be tested in West Africa for the very first time

Experimental Ebola treatments will be tested in West Africa for the first time as part of an international initiative to fast-track trials of the most promising drugs.

The disease has already claimed more than 2,600 lives in the region since February, when the latest outbreak - the largest since the virus was discovered in 1976 - began in Guinea.

A £3.2million grant from the Wellcome Trust will allow clinical trials to begin at existing Ebola treatment centres.

It comes as the UN Security Council declared the epidemic a threat to international peace and security, and called for an urgent response.

New estimates from the World Health Organisation warn the number of Ebola cases could hit 21,000 in six weeks unless efforts to curb the outbreak are ramped up.  

Since the first cases were reported six months ago, more than 5,800 people have become infected with the virus. 

Officials say cases are continuing to increase exponentially and Ebola could infect people for years to come without better control measures.

In recent weeks, health officials worldwide have stepped up efforts to provide aid but the virus is still spreading.