Liberia faces surge of victims as Ebola virus spreads
Oliver Duggan
Independent.ie
10/09/2014
Thousands of new cases of Ebola are expected in the coming weeks as the disease spreads “exponentially” through Liberia, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned.
More than 2,000 people have been killed in West Africa by Ebola since the outbreak began this year, including 79 health workers.
The UN’s health agency has now warned that the response to the crisis is “not having an adequate impact” and efforts to contain the virus must be stepped up “three-to-four fold”.
It added that a shortage of beds for infected patients in Liberia’s Montserrado county and the use of public transport by Ebola sufferers turned away from hospital would likely cause a surge in transmission rates.
“Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially,” WHO said in a statement.
“In Monrovia, taxis filled with entire families, of whom some members are thought to be infected with the Ebola virus, crisscross the city, searching for a treatment bed. There are none.
“As WHO staff in Liberia confirm, no free beds for Ebola treatment exist anywhere in the country.
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