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The bodies of Ebola victims must be cremated – not buried – ordered the government of Liberia yesterday.
Hundreds of troops were sent to the capital Monrovia as fears rose over the killer virus being spread through touching the bodies – as is local tradition at funerals.
Fights broke out between health workers and residents trying to bury another 20 victims yesterday.
A further 17 bodies have been found dumped on the streets.
The order to burn all victims came as it was confirmed that the woman feared to have died from Ebola at Gatwick Airport at the weekend did not in fact have the disease.
Arriving on a flight from Sierra Leone she collapsed in the terminal amid fears she was carrying the killer virus. But tests showed she died from natural causes.
In Sierra Leone “Operation Octopus” was mounted to transfer 750 soldiers to the remote worst-hit areas.
West Africa is experiencing the largest recorded Ebola outbreak in history, with at least 826 deaths blamed on the disease.
Meanwhile, plastic buckets are selling at a record pace to people who fill them with chlorine to disinfect their hands.
Liberia’s Information minister Lewis Brown said: “The situation will probably get worse before it gets better.
“We are over-stretched. We need support; we need resources; we need workers.
“We need our concerted effort, this country needs everybody right now.
The situation is particularly dire in Liberia, where at least 156 people have succumbed to the disease, according to Doctors Without Borders.
Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids such as blood, sweat and vomit.
A Doctor who helped identify Ebola four decades ago has told of his shock at the spread of the killer bug and blamed leaders of countries hit by the world’s biggest outbreak for “failing to take the bull by the horns”.
Prof Peter Piot, director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who co-discovered Ebola in 1976, added: “I’m really worried about what is going on in West Africa.
“Why? It’s the traditional beliefs and distrust in health services and authority and the rejection of Western medicine.
“I think that is not so much about the virus and more about society.”
Meanwhile the British public have been urged to dig deep into their pockets and contribute funds to help people affected by the deadly Ebola virus outbreak.
A number of British Red Cross workers have been sent to West Africa to help support the relief effort.
Teams on the ground are working with affected communities to educate people on how to prevent infection and to tackle stigma associated with the virus.
They are also helping to dispose safely of the bodies of those who have died and are helping to track down people who may have become infected.
“This outbreak shows no signs of abating, but we are doing everything we can to prevent new infections and help raise awareness about the disease,” said Mandeep Mudhar, British Red Cross West Africa disaster response officer.
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