It may go global... Ebola outbreak has outstripped West Africa's ability to treat the disease

The World Health Organization (WHO) has reported that the Ebola outbreak in Liberia is spreading exponentially as patients spread out in an effort to find suitable medical care.

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LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The various reports illustrate just how terrible the situation in West Africa is, where the Ebola outbreak has overtaxed the already overburdened medical infrastructure.

This spreading disease must be stopped, by any means necessary!

The WHO and other world health groups have warned that the situation in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea is dire, and rapidly approaching critical levels.

"Transmission of the Ebola virus in Liberia is already intense and the number of new cases is increasing exponentially," the WHO said in a statement.

"In Monrovia, taxis filled with entire families, of whom some members are thought to be infected with the Ebola virus, crisscross the city, searching for a treatment bed. There are none. As WHO staff in Liberia confirm, no free beds for Ebola treatment exist anywhere in the country."

The WHO has said more than 3,600 people have been infected with Ebola in West Africa, and 2,000 have died, but the organization predicts that as many as 20,000 may be sickened before it's over, and with half of the current infected dying, that is a grim portent.

"According to a WHO staff member who has been in Liberia for the past several weeks, motorbike-taxis and regular taxis are a hot source of potential Ebola virus transmission, as these vehicles are not disinfected at all, much less before new passengers are taken on board," WHO said.

"When patients are turned away at Ebola treatment centers, they have no choice but to return to their communities and homes, where they inevitably infect others, perpetuating constantly higher flare-ups in the number of cases."

West African needs for beds, medical supplies and medical staff have "completely outstripped" capacity.

Healthcare workers who have become infected while trying to treat the enormous volume of patients are especially vulnerable. "Some 152 health care workers have been infected and 79 have died," the WHO said.

At the start of the outbreak, Liberia had only one doctor to treat nearly 100,000 people, part of a total population of 4.4 million people.

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