US orders relatives of embassy staff out of Liberia as Ebola spreads
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are battling the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed 932 people
8 August 2014, 8:31am
Staff Reporter
Staff Reporter
1 min read
Health workers remove the body of an Ebola victim for burial as the death toll mounts
The United States ordered relatives of its embassy employees to leave Liberia as the African nation struggles to contain the Ebola epidemic.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are battling the deadly Ebola virus, which has killed 932 people in those countries, according to the World Health Organization. The epidemic has also spread to Nigeria.
In a statement yesterday, the State Department says it's taking the action for those not employed by the embassy in Monrovia out of an abundance of caution.
A State Department spokeswoman says its medical office has determined that there is a lack of options for routine health care services at major medical facilities due to the Ebola outbreak.
Nearly 1,000 people have died since the outbreak appeared in March.
In the United States, two patients are being treated at Emory University Hospital in Atlanta: American doctor Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol, who had been in Liberia. Emory is one of four U.S. institutions capable of providing such treatment.
