Ukraine in Arabic | Ebola virus is gaining momentum in West Africa
KYIV/Ukraine in Arabic/ WHO noted that motorbike-taxis and regular taxis are "a hot source of potential virus transmission" because they are not disinfected in Liberia, where conventional Ebola control measures are not having an adequate impact.
Liberia is set to be hit by a new wave of Ebola cases in the next few weeks.
According to the World Health Organisation, thousands of people will present with symptoms as the country’s weak public health system struggles to cope with the epidemic.
WHO says the problem is not enough treatment centres – those infected are being turned away from over stretched clinics. When they are forced to return home they inevitably infect others.
Half of all of those of the 2,000 or more people who have died from the current outbreak in West Africa have been in Liberia.
Quarantining whole communities appears not to be effective and it inflicts suffering and hardship.
One piece of good news is Nigeria says it has managed to contain the outbreak there with only one out of the 19 confirmed cases still being treated in isolation. Nigeria has reported seven deaths out of the 19 cases.
WHO believes it could take to nine months to contain the epidemic which may infect up to 20,000 people in the West Africa region.
1,089 people have died from the virus out of 1,871 cases in Liberia, which has reported confirmed cases in 14 out of 15 counties.
A total of 2,097 people have died out of 3,944 Ebola cases, across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone
Another 18 cases and seven deaths have been recorded in Nigeria and one non-fatal case in Senegal.
Today it was announced Britain is to set up a 62-bed medical centre to treat Ebola patients in Sierra Leone.
The centre will be based near the capital Freetown and will be opened in eight weeks' time, according to an international development secretary.
It will be built and operated by military engineers and medical staff.
Sierra Leone last week ordered a four-day countrywide ’lockdown’ starting 18 September as part of tougher efforts to halt the spread of Ebola.
