French President Francois Hollande, the first Western leader to visit Ebola-stricken west Africa, has warned against isolating one of the countries hit by the worst epidemic of the disease on record.
During a brief visit to Guinea's capital Conakry today, Mr Hollande was greeted by President Alpha Conde before visiting a hospital and meeting health workers battling the outbreak.
He said the French people should be aware of what was happening in Guinea, the origin of the epidemic that has killed 1,200 Guineans and more than 5,600 people across West Africa. But he said they should also be vigilant.
"Vigilant that Guinea is always open to the world, that it isn't isolated, including during this phase, and that it can continue to ensure its development," he said.
A number of countries, including several of Guinea's neighbours, have introduced restrictions on travellers from Ebola-affected nations, despite warnings from the World Health Organization that such measures could do serious harm.
Mr Hollande's words echoed those of Fanta Camara, an Ebola survivor he met earlier in the day.
"It's Ebola that we must isolate, not the country," she said.
France, Guinea's former colonial master, has agreed to set up a military hospital in the country to help fight the outbreak and has pledged €100m in financial assistance for the Ebola effort.
"France wants to set an example. Beyond material help, it is human help which is the most important," Mr Hollande told journalists, saying he had come to "deliver a message of hope".
Other Western nations are also ramping up their support. The United States is deploying up to 3,000 troops, mostly in neighbouring Liberia, while Britain has sent military staff to build treatment centres in Sierra Leone.
"The people of Guinea are very grateful. You are at home in Guinea," Mr Conde told Mr Hollande.
Mr Conde's government has made some progress in bringing the outbreak under control, but aid workers say local resistance to help is hampering efforts to curb the spread in rural areas.
Meanwhile, two children are being tested for Ebola after arriving in England from Africa.
The children, whose ages are not known, are understood to be undergoing tests in Newcastle for Ebola and malaria.
A public health spokesman said it is "unlikely" the children have the disease but they are being tested as a precaution.
He said: "Due to uncertainty about where in Africa the children are from and when they arrived in the UK, as a precaution the children are being tested for Ebola and malaria."
