Ebola Virus: Liberia Declares State of Emergency

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberian President, has declared a state of emergency in the country as a result of the rapid spread of Ebola Virus.

Declaring a state of emergency for 90 days, Sirleaf reportedly stated that ignorance, poverty, and entrenched religious and cultural practices, were factors responsible for the worsening spread of the disease, BBC reports.

Health officials in the country revealed that the virus is also spreading rapidly because “many people are keeping sick relatives at home instead of taking them to isolation centres.”

Sirleaf also said that curbing the outbreak would require “extraordinary measures for the very survival of our state and for the protection of the lives of our people”.

Photo Credit: BBC/EPA