Sierra Leone, Liberia Struggle To Respond To Ebola Outbreak

News outlets report on the challenges surrounding the response to the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone appeals for $18m to plug Ebola funding gap
“Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma appealed to the international community on Tuesday for help filling an $18 million (13 million euro) shortfall in funding to battle the Ebola epidemic devastating the country…” (8/12).

Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone seeks experimental Ebola drug: govt
“Sierra Leone said on Tuesday it would seek a shipment of a controversial experimental drug to fight an Ebola outbreak which has killed 315 in the impoverished West African nation. The ministry of health told AFP it had prepared a letter to send to the American manufacturer of ZMapp, an unlicensed serum being made available in neighboring Liberia…” (Johnson, 8/12).

IRIN: Ebola response up but huge gaps remain
“While Ebola treatment and containment efforts are gradually gaining pace in Sierra Leone and Liberia, there are still far too few health workers, contact tracers, and community monitors on the ground to keep up with the disease’s spread, particularly in urban areas, say Health Ministry staff and aid workers…” (8/12).

The Telegraph: Ebola outbreak is overwhelming health services, warns top U.S. medic
“The scale of the West African Ebola outbreak in Liberia is completely overwhelming the capacity of specialist isolation units that treat victims, a senior U.S. health official assessing the crisis has warned…” (Freeman, 8/12).

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