London, Sep 19 (IANS): A three-day lockdown to try to stop the spread of the Ebola virus disease came into effect Friday in Sierra Leone.

The move aims to keep people confined to their homes while health workers isolate new cases and prevent Ebola from spreading further, BBC reported.

Sierra Leona is one of the countries worst hit by West Africa's Ebola outbreak, which has killed more than 2,600 people.

Volunteers will go door-to-door to test people for the virus and take infected people to treatment centres.

The disease infects humans through close contact with infected animals, including chimpanzees, fruit bats and forest antelopes.

It then spreads between humans by direct contact with infected blood, bodily fluids or organs, or indirectly through contact with contaminated environments.

The UN Security Council Thursday declared the outbreak a "threat to international peace and security".

The Security Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling on states to provide more resources to combat it.