Ebola is “out of control” in Liberia

The Ebola virus is “out of control” in the most remote areas of the Liberian capital, due to the denial of the illness by patients and traditional burials, warned yesterday an expert of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Liberia.

“Denial is the worst, because the kids are dying and we need to protect ourselves,” said the adviser for the disease control of the WHO Clement Peters, in statements to the radio station of the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL).

Therefore, he urged citizens to inform the sanitary authorities about possible cases of Ebola when symptoms begin to be noticed. He added that the traditional burials, which involve direct contact with dead bodies, are causing a large number of infections and deaths in many counties.

Some community leaders and residents of remote areas to Monrovia, the Liberian capital, reported to the same radio station that the authorities are not responding to their requests for help to treat some patients with symptoms of Ebola.

Proof of this, they explained, is that in some populations the bodies of victims who allegedly died of Ebola are piled in the streets. As a sign of protest against this situation, some residents have used the bodies to block the roads.