Earlier today, the Liberian government published a list of the supplies it has on hand to treat Ebola patients — and the supplies it thinks it will need. The data paints a dire picture of a country bracing for an outbreak that only gets worse.
Liberia thinks it needs 84,000 more body bags for the Ebola outbreak
John Moore/Getty Images
The Liberian government estimates it needs an additional 84,841 body bags. It currently has 4,901 on hand.
The West African country also needs more than 2 million boxes of rubber gloves and a half-million pairs of goggles and tens of thousands more pairs of rubber boots. Right now, it has very little of any of these. You can see the gap between supplies needed and supplies on hand here:
The full list of supplies, both those on hand and those necessary, is available in the government’s most recent situation report.
(Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare)
Liberia has been harder hit by the Ebola outbreak than any other country. It has so far recorded 4,076 cases and 2,316 deaths. More than half of all Ebola deaths worldwide have happened in Liberia.
The country is also poor, with few resources to fight the deadly outbreak. Even before Ebola hit, Liberia had one of the world’s poorest health care systems. Liberia spends an average of $66 per person per year on health care — a mere 2 percent of the OECD average.
Supplies matter a lot in the Ebola outbreak. Without proper protective gear, its easier for the disease to spread — not just in Liberia, but also outside of the country, too.
If you’re looking for ways to help ease the supply shortage, consider this list of non-profits currently providing aid in West Africa in the Ebola fight.
Hat tip to the Washington Post for noticing this report earlier today.
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By Julia Belluz and Alex Ward
