‘Dear World...’

Liberian President on Ebola: Save Us

Sirleaf urges global response in open letter.

In an open “letter to the world” broadcast over the BBC, Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf called on every country around the globe to do what it can to help stop Ebola, saying everyone has a stake in the fight against the lethal virus. She said a generation of Africans are at risk of “being lost to economic catastrope” because of the disease, which has killed more than 4,500 so far in West Africa, almost half of them—2,200—in Liberia. Also among the hardest hit nations are Sierra Leone and Guinea. The three countries combined have at least 9,000 people infected with the virus. In her open letter, which begins, “Dear World,” Sirleaf says “It is the duty of all of us, as global citizens, to send a message that we will not leave millions of West Africans to fend for themselves.” Meanwhile, the United Nations’ World Food Program’s China representative said Chinese corporations and wealthy individuals are not doing enough to help fight Ebola in West Africa, The Wall Street Journal reports. China has deep interests in West Africa.