Sierra Leone’s health ministry says four people in the West African country have died because of Ebola.  It’s the first time in the current outbreak that any fatalities have been charted outside of Guinea, where the virus has killed more than 145 people.

Three patients and one health care worker died over the past three or four days in the Kailahun district, which borders the southern provinces of Guinea, where Ebola has been most active.  Journalists in the area now say that people in the Kailahun District are largely staying inside their homes for fear of catching the virus.

Ebola is very easily transmitted via infected bodily fluids – blood, sweat, tears, anything – which is why health care workers are particularly at risk during outbreaks.  It can kill up to 90 percent of those it infects.  The only good news is that the probability of survival increases if the patient seeks treatment early.  And it can be mitigated through sanitation, and washing surfaces down with chlorine bleach is frequently practiced.