The Muslim festival of Eid has been overshadowed in Sierra Leone by the spread of Ebola.

The British charity Save the Children has warned that five people in Sierra Leone are contracting the virus every hour, adding that could double by November if urgent action is not taken.

In Freetown health workers removed the body of a 17-year-old victim that had lain uncollected for four days.

The delay provoked anger among local residents: the police called repeatedly but the authorities couldn’t cope.

“They said they are coming, but it was Tuesday evening up to this time. Yesterday I called, Wednesday we called, today again, we called this morning because I got the information that the inhabitants of this village want to go on the rampage and want to block the highway,” said police assistant superintendent Eliha A. Moses Ashi.

Meanwhile the job of training local health workers continues. The World Health Organisation trained 400 in Freetown last week.

Much of the preparation concerns protecting themselves. The UN’s health agency says more than 200 health workers have died in the region so far.

It is bringing in helicopters, cars and motorbikes to help improve transport access around the country.