Crisis deepens as Liberia hunts for 17 Ebola carriers who escaped from isolation centre

Liberia’s Ebola case has worsened as the country struggled today, August 18, to track down 17 suspected Ebola carriers who escaped from quarantine over the weekend when protesters hit and looted the centre.

Information Minister, Lewis Brown told Reuters: “We are very, very concerned about the situation.
The police had to stand down because they were concerned not to put their men at risk. They got a supply of protective equipment yesterday and my expectation is that they will redeploy today.”

Reuters reports that residents of West Point, a sprawling ocean-front shanty town where the quarantine centre was located, are angry with President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her government for bringing people infected with the virus to their community. They expressed fears that Saturday's looting would spread contamination through the neighbourhood.

“It felt bad. These people have put themselves at risk and the entire community at risk,” said Molly Cooper, leader of a local women's association.

Residents also voiced anger that patients had been kept without sufficient food and water, echoing concerns from other quarters that a major humanitarian crisis may erupt in a matter of weeks.

With its healthcare system and entire government structure struggling to cope, Liberia has been hit the hardest by the incurable disease, which has killed 1,145 people in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Liberia and Nigeria.