News outlets report on challenges faced in responding to the Ebola epidemic in Liberia and Sierra Leone, two of the worst-hit nations.

New York Times: Officials Admit a ‘Defeat’ by Ebola in Sierra Leone
“Acknowledging a major ‘defeat’ in the fight against Ebola, international health officials battling the epidemic in Sierra Leone approved plans on Friday to help families tend to patients at home, recognizing that they are overwhelmed and have little chance of getting enough treatment beds in place quickly to meet the surging need…” (Nossiter, 10/10).

New York Times: Amid Ebola Crisis, Liberian Army Sees Its Chance at Rebranding
“…[The Armed Forces of Liberia] — once responsible for toppling the government, killing civilians, and setting the nation on a course toward a devastating civil war — have suddenly become a linchpin in the fight against the Ebola virus rampaging through their country. … Replacing such images in the public consciousness with ones of Liberian soldiers working side by side with American troops and making nice with ordinary Liberians is a tough sell, even if the enemy now is a terrifying virus steamrolling through the country, killing more than 2,300 people in six months…” (Cooper, 10/11).

Wall Street Journal: Some Ebola-Stricken African Families Pay Bribes for Fake Death Records
“Some of the teams sent to retrieve bodies of suspected Ebola victims here are collecting cash instead, allegedly accepting bribes to issue death certificates to families saying their loved ones died of other causes and leaving the body, locals and health workers say…” (Vogt, 10/12).