ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, Shawwal 15, 1435, Aug 11, 2014, SPA -- Ivory Coast has banned all passenger flights from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone -- the three countries most affected by the outbreak of the Ebola virus, UPI reported. The ban is an attempt to stop the spread of the deadly virus that has killed 961 people since the outbreak began earlier this year. On Monday, the World Health Organization reiterated that "The Ebola virus is highly contagious, but is not airborne." The Ebola virus is spread by close contact with the bodily fluids of an infected person. As symptoms worsen, the ability to transmit the virus increases. As a result, patients are usually most likely to infect others at a severe stage of the disease, when they are visible, and physically, too ill to travel. --SPA 22:05 LOCAL TIME 19:05 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w