Ebola Outbreak: Liberian nurses strike, food supply threatened

Nurses in Liberia have gone on strike as concerns grow over the effects of Ebola on the societies of West Africa.

The Guardian reports that nurses in Monrovia, the capital of Liberia, have gone on strike in protest of the lack of protective equipment to deal with patients who have contracted the highly contagious Ebola virus.

The nurses are concentrated at John F. Kennedy Hospital, Liberia's largest health care facility. A spokesperson for the striking nurses named John Tugbeh said that they would not return to work until they were guaranteed and provided access to the hazmat style suits known as personal protective equipment. He also said they have not had such equipment despite the fact that the outbreak began months ago.

Approximately a tenth of the deaths of this most recent Ebola outbreak have been medical personnel, according to The Guardian. Tugbeh attributed the high prevalence of the virus among healthcare workers to this lack of proper protective equipment.

Bloomberg reports that as the disease continues to spread, the United Nations has warned of disruptions in West Africa's food supply as quarantines restrict the movement of people and goods throughout the regions afflicted with the virus.

The quarantines have led to spikes in the prices of food and severe shortages in some areas. With the harvest season fast approaching, the situation is only expected to deteriorate.

Bloomberg says there is a labor shortage stemming from the restrictions on movement that have been imposed by the West African governments coping with the disease.

The labor shortages will also affect cash crops such as palm oil and rubber. The inability to harvest these goods will result in hardship and strain on economies and citizens that are already coping with a difficult economic environment.