Sierra Leone begins its lockdown in an attempt to combat the Ebola virus which has claimed over 500 lives in the country, BBC reported.

Earlier, the government of Sierra Leone announced that it would implement a lockdown from Sept. 18 to 21 to block people from getting out of their homes believing they could stop the spread of the disease.

Ebola has not only affected Sierra Leone, it has also spread in Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria, with a recorded 2,600 deaths in West Africa, the BBC article stated.

 Despite Sierra Leone's efforts, the World Health Organization on Thursday said it appears that the disease is continuing its spread, with new cases reported that include in the countries of Congo and Senegal, several news media reported.

The United Nations Security Council meanwhile has called the outbreak a " "threat to international peace and security,' the Guardian reported.

The council backed by over 100 countries have expressed alarm over the outbreak and unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a global effort to fight the disease.

An amount of $1 billion is being asked by UN secretary general, Ban Ki-moon from other countries to fund the crisis. He also seconded WHO's concern that the number of cases are increasing each week.

WHO announced that,"the upward epidemic trend continues in the three countries that have widespread and intense transmission: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone."

The United States will send 3,000 military personnel to West Africa and will help create more clinics. Several non-profit agencies have also donated and pledged support to the global effort to address the public health crisis.

There is no known cure for the Ebola virus, World Health Organization web site described Ebola as a" severe acute viral illness often characterized by the sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. This is followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function, and in some cases, both internal and external bleeding."

However, several health workers who have been infected and are undergoing experimental treatments are responding well and showed signs of improvement, earlier reports indicated.