The Liberian government shut most of West Africa's border crossings and restricted public gatherings on Sunday to prevent the spread of Ebola virus.
Liberia's president Ellen Johnson Sirleaf explained that the new measures are part of the government's effort to combat the virus. Aside from closing the borders, authorities are strictly inspecting people entering and leaving the airport. Public gatherings including marches, demonstrations and promotional advertisements are also restricted until the outbreak is fully contained, Reuters reported.
"All borders of Liberia will be closed with the exception of major entry points. At these entry points, preventive and testing centers will be established, and stringent preventive measures to be announced will be scrupulously adhered to," she said, quoted by Reuters.
It was reported on Friday that a Liberian official who went to Nigeria for an international conference died due to Ebola. The Nigerian authorities confirmed that the victim voluntarily surrendered himself to the airport authorities after feeling very ill, then passed away while in quarantine. His sister died three weeks ago in Liberia and also tested positive for Ebola.
Despite various efforts to prevent the spread of the virus, the death toll is still increasing and has reached more than 670 people in Africa. According to USA Today, even the doctors and health care workers are already infected, including two Americans.
Doctor Kent Brantly is under intensive treatment after testing positive for the virus. Brantly has been in Liberia since October doing medical charity work. The second American is Nancy Whitebol, who is working with a mission group to treat people infected with Ebola.
"Both of them tonight are in stable condition," Ken Isaacs, Samaritan Purse's vice president of programs and government relations, said Sunday, quoted by USA Today. "But they are not out of the woods yet."
While Brantly and Whitebol are both stable, one Liberian doctor failed to survive. Samuel Brisbane, a consultant with the internal medicine unit, received treatment for the virus but died. Isaacs appealed to the United States, Canada, and European Union to help Liberia educate its health workers to make them well-prepared in fighting the Ebola virus and to prevent passing it to other people.
