West African countries have mobilized against an epidemic of hemorrhagic fevers including Ebola, which has claimed dozens of lives in the region.

Guinea is the worst affected country with 86 deaths, 45 of them confirmed as Ebola.

Guinea's neighbors have sent health teams to border territories and introduced measures to prevent the spread of Ebola.

Tarik Jasarevic, spokesman for the World Health Organization (WHO), said on Friday that the UN agency is trying to track people who had encountered the victims.

"What is really important is to inform the population of Guinea and Conakry about this disease, as this is the first time they are facing Ebola. They need to know what it is and how they can protect themselves," Jasarevic said.

Mali became the latest of Guinea's neighbors to announce suspected cases of Ebola, saying three victims had been placed in isolation.

Meanwhile, Doctors Without Borders has warned that the Ebola outbreak in Guinea is an "unprecedented epidemic" that is dangerously widespread across Guinea.

The disease is highly contagious and leads to external and internal bleeding.

Ebola is one of the most contagious viral diseases often resulting in death. The virus cannot be prevented with a vaccine and is untreatable with medication.

The deadly viral infection, which is spread by close contact, was first discovered in the Democratic Republic of Congo -- then known as Zaire -- in 1976. There is no vaccine or specific treatment for Ebola and the disease kills up to 90 percent of its victims who suffer extensive internal and external bleeding.