Ebola Nurses Deaths in Liberia Pass 79

The spread of the world's worst-ever Ebola epidemic has accelerated rapidly with close to 1,300 deaths in the last month’s August and July alone, World Health Organization (WHO) figures show. WHO said the number of people who have died in the outbreak has reached 2,097 across five West Africa countries, with about half the deaths in Liberia. Dr Margaret Chan, director-general of the World Health Organization (WHO), said there were more than 3,500 cases across Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

The Ebola Virus outbreak in the west African subregion with Liberia topping the deaths rate has killed so far over least 160 health workers have been infected with the virus and 79 have died, in a nation that counted a paltry single doctor per 100,000 inhabitants at its onset.

Dr. Tom Frieden, head of the U.S. Center for Disease Control (CDC) during his recent official visit in the country said what he saw was astonishing and expressed fears that more deaths are likely to double in the coming weeks, stressing that the number of cases continues to increase and is now increasing rapidly. “I'm afraid that over the next few weeks those numbers are likely to increase further and significantly. There is a window of opportunity to tamp this down, but that window is closing. We need action now to scale up the response. We know how to stop Ebola. The challenge is to scale it up to the massive levels needed to stop this outbreak.”

Besides the obvious challenges of finding beds, food and spaces for the overwhelming number of Ebola patients, Dr. Brown of the Ebola Unit at the ELWA Hospital said part of the center’s facility continues to struggle. By Saturday, a bit of sunshine came knocking on “Hell’s” door. A donor who declined publicity brought in a ton of medical supplies and food for patients at the facility.

Complicating the facility’s dilemma, he said are serious questions surrounding the catering contract. It is unclear who has the contract, but many are raising questions that the government of Liberia is being charged $US8.00 per plate, three times a day, just the amount it costs an average meal per person at the top restaurants in the country.

The Health Ministry recently submitted an action plan totaling US$20 million to combat the deadly Ebola virus. Speaking on a local radio station recently, Finance Minister Amara Konneh said the government will do all it can to source funding for the fight against the deadly virus which has claimed over a hundred and twenty eight persons including a high ranking official at the Finance Ministry headed by Konneh.

“The ministry of health submitted to the national task force, which you know the President chairs, an operational budget of US$ 20 Million to fight this disease. We are not going to go into line items and discussions on this,” he said.

“I’m working with my colleagues in the government- yesterday, I met with Governor Mills Jones; he met with the legislature, the ways and means committee. We are going to do everything to mobilize resources, if that’s what it will take to fight the disease.” Minister Konneh said the government realizes the importance of stopping the spread of the disease and as such it has to bring forth all the resources needed.

Meanwhile, the UN has said US$490m in supplies is needed to fight West Africa's Ebola outbreak, as the death toll from the worst epidemic of the virus exceeded 4,000.

The pace of the infection has accelerated, and there have been close to 400 deaths in the past week, according to officials. "This Ebola epidemic is the longest, the most severe and the most complex we've ever seen," said Dr Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), at a press conference in Washington. She said there were more than 3,500 cases across Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

The haemorrhagic fever has spread to Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone, and has killed more people than all outbreaks since Ebola was first uncovered in 1976. There are no approved Ebola vaccines or treatments. An experimental vaccine that Canada said it would give to the WHO for use in Africa remains in the laboratory that developed it, as officials work out how to transport it. Ottawa said in August that it would donate 800-1,000 doses of the vaccine, being held at Canada's National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.

The total number of cases stands at 3,069, with 40% occurring in the past three weeks. "However, most cases are concentrated in only a few localities," the WHO said. The outbreak, the deadliest ever, has been centered in Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia, with a handful of cases in Nigeria. The WHO is predicting that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa could eventually infect more than 20,000 people - more than six times as many doctors currently know about. The organization made the statement Thursday, as it called for a global response to the spread of the virus.

The Ebola crisis continues to claim the lives of many Liberians as the days go by and those currently in isolation would need all the support from the public to overcome a disease that has no cure. The deadly Ebola virus which becomes widespread is now taking a toll on doctors and health care workers in the country, taking away the lives of several top medical doctors in Liberia, while other have falling prey to the virus.

Dr. Sam Mutooro Muhumuza, a Ugandan national was the first senior medical doctor to be killed by the deadly virus. He was a surgical doctor assigned at the Redemption Hospital in New Kru Town. Following doctor Muhumuza was Dr. Samuel Brisbane, former Medical Advisor to ex President Charles Taylor. He was a senior Medical Doctor working at Liberia’s leading referral hospital, the John F. Kennedy (JFK). Dr. Brisbane deputy, Dr. Borbor died in the process.

Third on the list was Mr. Patrick Nshairndze, chief administrator and a Dispenser at the St. Joseph’s Catholic Hospital in Monrovia. Dr. Nshamdze, who preferred to be called “Bro. Patrick”, was from Cameroon and a member of the Catholic Community—Brothers of St. John of God. Bro. Patrick was one of the missionaries assigned at the St. Joseph Catholic Hospital in Congo Town. He was one of those very reliable medical practitioners, who kept the hospital intact and running.

While Mr. Patrick Sawyer, Coordinator of the ECOWAS National Unit at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning also lost his life in the process. He is accused of transporting the virus to Nigeria. He was not a doctor, he holds American citizenship