Officials in Liberia are worried about Ebola spreading throughout the capital of Monrovia following an attack on a quarantine center holding about 30 suspected patients.
The raid happened late Saturday night in the West Point slum, The Associated Press reports, and was carried out by area residents, several armed with guns, who were angry that patients were being brought in from other neighborhoods. Witnesses say the patients fled as the attackers looted bloody sheets and mattresses as well as medical equipment. Ebola is spread through bodily fluids, including blood, sweat, and vomit.
"All between the houses you could see people fleeing with items looted from the patients," an official requesting anonymity told the AP. He now feared "the whole of West Point will be infected."
On Friday, a crowd of hundreds gathered and shouted, "No Ebola in West Point," and drove away a burial team and police escort, Reuters reports. The neighborhood is home to at least 50,000 people, with many fearing that the government is planning on clearing out the entire area.
The World Health Organization says that there have been 413 Ebola deaths in Liberia. Once the patients who fled the quarantine center are found, they will be sent to an Ebola center at Monrovia's largest hospital.