Liberia to open 2nd Ebola center in capital
The new center opening on Saturday will have 120 beds
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-08-16 21:04 GMT
Monrovia: Authorities in Liberia are opening a new center to treat Ebola patients after the existing one in the capital became overwhelmed with patients.
Assistant health minister Tolbert Nyenswah said the first center was only meant to treat 25 people and now has about 80 patients. The new center opening on Saturday will have 120 beds but may eventually be tripled in size because of the ongoing crisis.
Isolating Ebola patients is key to slowing the spread of the disease, as sick people can transmit it through their bodily fluids such as blood, sweat or urine. The UN health agency has warned that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa may last another six months.
It also says the current toll of 1,069 may "vastly underestimate the magnitude of the outbreak."