The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the embassy would remain closed – and staff evacuated – until the outbreak was brought under control, the official SPA news agency reported.

According to the ministry, the Saudi embassy in Senegal will handle Saudi interests in Guinea.

In recent months, Ebola – a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure – has killed 8,153 people, mostly in West Africa, according to the World Health Organization.

Sierra Leone has had the most cases of the three intense-transmission countries, with 9,772 infections reported to date.

Liberia's death toll of 3,471 has exceeded the 2,915 fatalities recorded in Sierra Leone.

In Guinea, 1,767 deaths were reported out of 2,769 registered cases.