CONAKRY, Shawwal 13, 1435, Aug 9, 2014, SPA -- Guinea closed its borders with Sierra Leone and Liberia on Saturday in a bid to halt the spread of an Ebola epidemic that has killed nearly 1,000 people in the three countries this year, Reuters reported. Authorities said the decision was taken primarily to prevent infected people crossing into Guinea, a country where at least 367 people have died of Ebola since March and 18 others are being treated in isolation. The West African Ebola outbreak is the worst the world has faced and the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday it represents an international health emergency that will likely continue spreading for months. It has put a severe strain on the health systems of affected states and governments have responded with a range of measures including national emergencies declared in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria, which confirmed seven cases of Ebola in Lagos. -- SPA 20:56 LOCAL TIME 17:56 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w