Monrovia (Reuters/NAN) – The World
Health Organisation (WHO) on Monday night in Monrovia predicted that
Liberia would see thousands of new cases of Ebola virus in coming weeks
as the virus was spreading exponentially.
It
said it would take more than nine months to contain and there was
possibility of the virus infecting more than 20,000 people before the
time.
It said in Liberia the disease has already killed 1,089 people.
“Transmission
of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new
cases is increasing exponentially,” it said.
“The number of new cases is moving far faster than the capacity to manage them in Ebola-specific treatment centres,” it added.
WHO said as soon as a new Ebola treatment centre was opened, it immediately overflows with patients.
“In
Monrovia, taxis filled with entire families, of whom some members are
thought to be infected with the Ebola virus, crisscross the city,
searching for a treatment bed,” it said.
It
said the WHO investigative team estimated that 1,000 beds are urgently
needed for Ebola patients, as motorbike-taxis and regular taxis have
become “a hot source” of Ebola transmission.
Liberia’s
government announced that it was extending a nationwide night time
curfew imposed last month to curb the spread of the disease.
Meanwhile,
Sierra Leone has ordered a four-day countrywide “lockdown” starting
Sept. 18, as part of tougher efforts to halt the spread of Ebola.
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