Liberia's Defense Minister, Brownie Samukai, said that the Ebola virus outbreak in the country is now posing a "serious threat" to its national existence and that the local government feels like the international response was "less than robust."
At the rate that the virus is spreading across the country, Liberia is now the worst hit among the nations in Ebola-stricken West Africa. The World Health Organization has also issued a warning that there could be thousands more Liberians who could become infected with the disease. As of right now, the WHO has a recorded 2,288 people who have already died due to Ebola, this number including victims in Sierra Leone and Guinea. Statistics show that almost 50% of these deaths occurred just in the past three weeks.
The Liberian government is concerned by the virulent spread of the virus within the country that seemed to be "devouring everything in its path." In a separate press statement, the United Nations confirmed that at least 160 health workers that have been working in Liberia as part of a campaign to fight the virus have already contracted the disease and more than half of them have already died. According to United Nations representative, Karin Landgren, "Liberians are facing their gravest threat since their war."
Aside from the disease is spreading exponentially, the country also faces the problem of an already overwhelmed health system. Minister Samukai said that, "Liberia is facing a serious threat to its national existence. The deadly Ebola virus has caused the disruption in the normal functioning of our state." The minister also said that the international response to the virus in the country has been insufficient so far. Unlike the other regions in West Africa that are being affected by the outbreak, the WHO said that the medical efforts to keep the condition under control in Liberia are not going so well. The organization has already appealed to the entities that are currently involved in fighting outbreak in Liberia to step up their efforts.
