Liberia, one of the worst Ebola stricken countries in West Africa, has opened a new cemetery for the victims of the Ebola outbreak. According to a Liberian official, the 50-acre site in Monrovia, which has its half ready for use, will be the way to enable dignified burials instead of cremation, which is unlikely of their traditions and customs.
According to the recent data released by the World Health Organization, the number of infected people in the three worst hit countries, Liberia,Guinea and Sierra Leone has reached 20,081 people wherein 7,800 people have died due to the complications caused by the deadly virus. The outbreak started one year ago but it was not until March that it was diagnosed as Ebola.
In the last couple of months, the situation in Liberia has improved. During the peak of the outbreak, Liberia had nearly 500 new cases everyday but recently, it drastically went down to about 50 new cases a day.
The situation went the other way for Sierra Leone because of their increasing infection rate. Meanwhile, the hope is still not attained by Liberia as 49 new cases were reported in its border near Sierra Leone on Monday.
The burial site in the capital of Liberia was created on a land bought from the Disco Hill district. It was bought for $50,000. According to the health minister, Dr. Nyenswah, the new site would be staffed by trained burial teams wherein they can accommodate both Muslim and Christian ceremonies.
He added that the site would allow dignified and safe burials. The family members can attend the ceremony and practice their traditions and customs but are not allowed to touch the dead bodies.
Furthermore, the remains of patients who were cremated would also be placed in the cemetery. This site would remind the people of West Africa on the wrath brought about by the deadly virus. In Liberia, the virus has killed 3,400 people over the past year and infected nearly 8,000 people.
