A Worried World Watches As Ebola Death Toll Rises: Liberian President Declares State Of Emergency

Liberian President, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared a 90-day state of emergency over Ebola as West African nations struggle to control an outbreak of the virus that has left at least 932 people dead. Her office announced Wednesday. "The scope and scale of the epidemic, the virulence and deadliness of the virus
now exceed the capacity and statutory responsibility of any one government agency or ministry," she said in a written statement. "The government and people of Liberia require extraordinary measures for the very survival of our state and for the protection of the lives of our people." 

World Health Organization (WHO) experts are meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss a response to the outbreak. The two-day meeting will decide whether to declare a global health emergency. The WHO announced on Wednesday that 932 deaths had been reported or confirmed as a result of Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Saudi Arabia joined the list of countries with suspected cases.

"This is the biggest and most complex Ebola outbreak in history," Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said.

Nearly all of those deaths have been in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, where more than 1,700 cases have been reported, according to WHO. The agency said 108 new cases were reported between Saturday and Monday in those countries and Nigeria.

Source: CNN