UN warns of thousands more Ebola cases in coming weeks

The Ebola virus is spreading fast in Liberia, where many thousands of new cases are expected over the coming three weeks, the World Health Organization said on Monday. The organization 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”. The United Nations agency said aid partners needed to scale up efforts against Ebola by three- to fourfold in Liberia and elsewhere in West African countries battling the epidemic.

The number of new cases is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them in Ebola-specific treatment centers.

a World Health Organisation investigative team

The United States and Britain will send medical equipment and military personnel to help contain West Africa’s Ebola outbreak. Once set up, the U.S. centre will be turned over to the Liberian government. There is no plan to staff it with U.S. military personnel. The disease has killed 1,089 people among 1,871 cases, the highest national toll so far, according to the World Health Organisation. In Liberia alone, 152 health care workers have been infected with Ebola and 79 have died, WHO said, noting that country had too few doctors and nurses even before the crisis.

Every infection or death of a doctor or nurse depletes response capacity significantly.

a World Health Organization statement

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