West Point Slum Citizens Attempt to Break Liberia Ebola Quarantine in Monrovia

West Point Slum Citizens Attempt to Break Liberia Ebola Quarantine in Monrovia
Mary Chastain

On Wednesday, violence broke out in the West Point slum in Monrovia, Liberia, which is ground zero for Ebola in the country. The government quarantined the area, but restless citizens attempted to break out.

The New York Times reported the soldiers and police officers blocked all roads, including the waterfront. The Coast Guard blocked everyone’s access to canoes and other watercraft. From the Times:

Angry young men hurled rocks and stormed barbed-wire barricades, trying to break out. Soldiers repelled the surging crowd with live rounds, driving back hundreds of young men.

One teenager in the crowd, Shakie Kamara, 15, lay on the ground near the barricade, his right leg apparently wounded by a bullet from the melee. “Help me,” he pleaded, barefoot and wearing a green Philadelphia Eagles T-shirt.

Lieutenant Colonel Abraham Kromah did not confirm if police fired any shots. Liberia is on edge since Ebola is spreading faster in this country than Sierra Leone and Guinea. Almost 1400 people are dead from Ebola and 576 were from Liberia. It is also the first time Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, experienced Ebola.

“Being the first time to get this problem, they didn’t know what they were dealing with,” said World Health Organization physician Dr. David Kaggwa. “They didn’t know how to respond to it. By the time they realized, it was way out of control. This is our first experience in a capital city, and all the indications are that it spreads faster in a city because people are living closer together.”

Americans Dr. Kent Brantly and aid worker Nancy Writebol contracted Ebola in Liberia. Both received care at the Emory University Hospital in Atlanta, GA and were released on Wednesday. Doctors said neither is a public health risk. Reason asked Americans if they thought there could be an Ebola outbreak in the US. The poll found 40% of Americans believe an outbreak is very likely to somewhat likely while 56% said not too likely to not likely at all.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.