Liberia's exhausted doctors are struggling to cope with the number of Ebola cases, which has far outstripped the capacity of the country's war-ravaged health service.
Nearly half the patients admitted to Liberia's JFK Ebola clinic in Monrovia die. A grim statistic by normal clinic standards, it is considerably better than the 70-90 per cent rates reported at the start of the outbreak, thanks to more people coming forward in the early stages of symptoms.
While treatment is simply a matter of keeping patients fed and hydrated in the hope that they fight the virus off, clinics like this are overwhelmed by demand. In this 35-bed facility, doctors are currently treating 69 people. Half of them are on the floor.
"There isn't even adequate corridor space for us to walk between them. But if we turn them back into the community, they will infect other people," says Dr J Soka Moses, the hospital's clinical director.
Of the 2,200 Ebola deaths across West Africa so far, 40 per cent have been in Liberia. Aid agencies warn that up to 20,000 West Africans could have the virus by the end of the year.
On Tuesday, Washington announced it would be sending 3,000 US troops to Liberia in coming weeks to boost the medical effort.
Video by Will Wintercross
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