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August 18, 2014

Ebola Patients Flee Liberia Clinic After Crowds Attack 
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Efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in Liberia have been dealt a major
setback after a mob attacked a clinic in the capital of Monrovia. A
large crowd forced open the isolation ward where Ebola patients were
being held, causing at least 17 patients to flee. The attack appears to
have been motivated by widely circulated rumors the virus is a Western
invention or a hoax. On Friday, the head of Doctors Without Borders,
Joanne Liu, said the Ebola outbreak has created a war-like atmosphere in
western Africa.

Dr. Joanne Liu: "I really had the feeling that it is like a wartime, in
terms of fear, general fear, all over where you are, nobody not
understanding what's going on. ... And they need, right now, help. They
need leadership, coordination, means they will not be able to overcome
that by themselves, unless some extra capacity is coming in the country.
And as well, if we don't stabilize Liberia, we'll never stabilize the
whole region."

Doctors Without Borders estimates the outbreak could take up to six
months to contain. The outbreak began in Guinea before spreading to
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, which have all declared national
health emergencies.

 

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