Obama talks to Liberia, S Leone leaders on Ebola

Martha's Vineyard - US President Barack Obama called the presidents of Liberia and Sierra Leone on Thursday to discuss the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the White House said.

The calls to Presidents Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia and Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra Leone came as the US state department ordered families of its diplomats in Sierra Leone to leave the country to avoid exposure to the disease.

"In his conversations with both leaders, the president underscored the commitment of the United States to work with Liberia, Sierra Leone, and other international partners to contain the outbreak and expressed his condolences for the lives lost," the White House said.