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Peace Corps Volunteers Isolated in Liberia After Suspected Ebola Exposure

by VOA News July 30, 2014

Two U.S. Peace Corps volunteers in Liberia have been isolated after suspected exposure to Ebola, although neither one is showing symptoms of the deadly virus.

A spokeswoman on Wednesday confirmed the two "had contact with an individual who later died of the Ebola virus.'

As a precautionary measure, the U.S. Peace Corps Wednesday said is temporarily removing its volunteers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea due to the increasing spread of the Ebola virus.

There are 102 volunteers in Guinea working in the areas of education, agriculture and health; and 108 volunteers in Liberia and 130 volunteers in Sierra Leone working in education.

Earlier Wednesday, the Liberian government ordered schools closed across the country and placed non-essential government workers on a mandatory 30-day leave.

Liberia already has closed its borders and quarantined several communities where virus is suspected.

Liberian security forces say they will ensure compliance with the government directives.

Police Protection in Liberia

Liberia says it will provide police escorts for health care workers, after some were attacked while treating or burying victims of the growing Ebola outbreak.

The measure was one of several new steps announced by the Liberian government Wednesday as West African countries scramble to contain the epidemic that has spread to four countries and killed nearly 700 people.

Liberian Justice Minister Christiana Tah announced the measure to reporters.

"We're gonna provide protection for health care workers. Health workers have gone out there to bury bodies and they have been stoned by various communities," said Tah.

In one incident, residents of Lofa County in northern Liberia set fire to an ambulance used to transport health workers assisting with a burial. The residents accused the workers of spreading Ebola.

Containment

Health officials trying to contain the outbreak have encountered a widespread lack of cooperation, with many families treating Ebola patients at home instead of admitting them to hospital isolation units. Others have ignored warnings to wear protective gear when burying those who were killed by the disease.

In Nigeria, where the disease was first detected on Friday, the Health Ministry sent out Twitter messages advising people on how to avoid Ebola, which is spread through direct contact, and giving out emergency numbers to call if they think they have the disease.

In Sierra Leone, where the chief doctor fighting Ebola succumbed to the disease on Tuesday, the government said Dr. Sheik Umar Khan would be buried "in strict compliance" with rules governing Ebola-related deaths.

​​There is no vaccine or cure for Ebola, which is characterized by fever, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches, and unstoppable bleeding from areas such as the eyes, ears and nose.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of Ebola cases in West Africa stands at just over 1,200, with 672 deaths in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.