Baz Ratner/Reuters
In an attempt to curb the spread of Ebola, Sierra Leone will start conducting house-to-house searches for patients on Wednesday. The inspections are part of a new set of government measures, which also includes a ban on Christmas and New Year’s festivities and an internal travel ban. Of all the West African countries that have been hit by the Ebola outbreak, Sierra Leone may be in the most desperate situation: Rates of infection are rising fastest there, and its current caseload accounts for half of all the 18,000-confirmed Ebola patients. Although certain countries have better control of the virus, Ebola remains a massive problem. Richard Sarca, a U.S. doctor recently cured of the virus, said he will return to West Africa to help fight Ebola, which has killed more than 6,800 people in the region.