Monrovia, Liberia, neighborhood quarantined to stop Ebola

MONROVIA, Liberia, Aug. 20 (UPI) —

In an effort to stop the spread of the Ebola virus, a neighborhood in Monrovia, Liberia, was quarantined and an army-enforced curfew was established.

The quarantine and curfew in West Point, an impoverished area of Liberia’s capital, ensures no one can enter or leave. Residents attacked an Ebola observation center there Saturday, in the mistaken belief Ebola victims from around the country were brought to the center for treatment. Dozens of people awaiting Ebola screenings fled, and looters carried off materials that could further spread the virus.

Lewis Brown, the country’s information minister, said 17 patients at the center suspected of Ebola, who escaped during the attack, have been found and returned to the West Point treatment centers and to other centers.

In declaring the nighttime curfew, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said:

"We have been unable to control the spread due to continued denials, cultural burying practices, disregard for the advice of health workers and disrespect for the warnings by the government. As a result and due to the large population concentration the disease has spread widely in Monrovia and environs."

The virus is responsible for the deaths of at least 1,229 people in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria, the worst outbreak since 1976. The World Health Organization reported encouraging signs in battling the epidemic, noting that in Guinea, those in some villages that previously declined medical care are now seeking treatment.