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 A State Department statement said U.S. staff would remain on active
duty at the embassy and additional staff were being sent to help the
government tackle the outbreak of the deadly virus.
"The latest wave of the outbreak has overwhelmed Liberia's health
system and most health facilities lack sufficient staff or resources
to address the continuing transmission" of the disease, it said.
Extra U.S. personnel going to Monrovia include 12 disease prevention
specialists from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
a 13-member disaster assistance response team from USAID to help the
government fight the outbreak, State Department spokeswoman Marie
Harf said.
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf announced a state of
emergency on Wednesday effective for 90 days that allows the
government to curtail civil rights and deploy troops and police to
impose quarantines on badly affected communities.
The epidemic has also hit Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria and has
claimed more than 900 lives, according to the World Health
Organization.
(Reporting by David Storey; Editing by Leslie Adler)
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