#SSU #NEWSUPDATE The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is putting off thousands of tourists who had planned trips to Africa this year, especially Asians, including to destinations thousands of miles from the nearest infected community such as Kenya and South Africa. Ebola, a hemorrhagic disease which can kill up to 90% of those it infects, has claimed more than 1 200 lives this year in the three small West African states of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, and also has a toehold in Nigeria. Although there are no known cases outside of this epicenter, many tourists are afraid to travel anywhere on the vast continent because of concerns the disease could spread, tour operators in Africa and Asia told Reuters on Wednesday. --------- Monrovia - Security forces acting on the presidents orders used scrap wood and barbed wire to seal off 50 000 people inside their crowded slum on Wednesday in an attempt to contain the Ebola outbreak, which has killed 1 350 people and counting. Hundreds of slum residents clashed with the police and soldiers, furious that their West Point peninsula is being blamed and isolated by a government that has failed to quickly collect dead bodies from the streets of the capital. The World Health Organisation raised the total death toll to 1 350, and said deaths are mounting fastest in Liberia, which now accounts for at least 576. The UN health agency also warned that countries are beginning to experience supply shortages, including fuel, food, and basic supplies. This comes after a number of airlines and shipping services have halted transport to population centres in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. And if the situation in these capitals is bad, its much worse inside West Point, a huge slum that occupies a narrow spit of land in Liberias capital of Monrovia. ------------ The Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB) has formally named the internationally-acclaimed environmental campaigner Marina Silva as its new presidential candidate. Ms Silva replaces the late Eduardo Campos, who was killed in a plane crash last week. She was Mr Camposs running mate and served as environment minister. She is seen as a leading challenger to President Dilma Rousseff, whos seeking re-election in the 5 October poll.
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 07:10:39 +0000
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