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Liberia president describes heavy cost of Ebola

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Liberia's president calls for more investment in health systems, news article, op-ed

ASSOCIATED PRESS                               Oct. 20, 2014

by Jonathan Paye-Layleh

Monrovia, Liberia — Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said Ebola has killed more than 2,000 people in her country and has brought it to “a standstill,” noting that Liberia and two other badly hit countries were already weakened by years of war.

Appealing for more international help, Sirleaf described the devastating effects of Ebola in a “Letter to the World” that was broadcast Sunday by the BBC.   https://soundcloud.com/bbc-world-service/a-letter-to-the-world-on-ebola-from-liberian-president-ellen-johnson-sirleaf?ocid=socialflow_twitter

“Across West Africa, a generation of young people risk being lost to an economic catastrophe as harvests are missed, markets are shut and borders are closed,” the Nobel Peace Prize laureate said. “The virus has been able to spread so rapidly because of the insufficient strength of the emergency, medical and military services that remain under-resourced....”

Read full story http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/world/2014/10/20/ebola-west-africa/17598505/

The long-term cure for Ebola: An investment in health systems

WASHINGTON POST     Op-ed
 
By Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia.
 
As the Ebola nightmare continues in Liberia and as we battle to contain the epidemic, it is important to look beyond the immediate crisis. Many more lives will be lost before this dreadful outbreak is beaten, but to properly honor the memory of the victims we need to ask how it happened in the first place and, more pressingly, how we can prevent it from happening again. ...

Full text of Op-ed
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/ellen-johnson-sirleaf-liberia-and-other-countries-need-investments-in-health/2014/10/19/713ce47e-561c-11e4-892e-602188e70e9c_story.html

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