Ebola crisis

The incident happened in the densely populated West Point township on

Saturday evening.

At least 20 patients who were being monitored for signs of the illness have

left the centre.

Officials said blood-stained bedding looted from the centre posed a serious

infection risk.

The protesters were unhappy that patients were being brought in from

other parts of the capital, the assistant health minister said.

The centre was set up to observe suspected Ebola patients and then

transfer them to a main treatment centre if they prove positive, assistant

health minister Tolbert Nyenswah told the BBC.

It is not known if those at the centre were infected with the virus, though

one report suggested they had proved positive.

A senior police officer said blood-stained mattresses, beddings and medical

equipment were taken from the centre.

“This is one of the stupidest things I have ever seen in my life”, he said.

He said the looting spree could threaten to spread the virus to the whole of

the West Point area.

Described as a slum, there are an estimated 50,000 people in the West

Point neighbourhood.

The Ebola epidemic began in Guinea in February and has since spread to

Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria.

On Friday, the death toll rose to 1,145 after the WHO said 76 new deaths

had been reported in the two days to 13 August. There have been 2,127

cases reported in total.