Liberia Holds Elections Postponed Due to Ebola Outbreak

Despite the ongoing Ebola epidemic, Liberians are going to the polls to choose Senate members. In October, the elections were postponed due to growing fears of voters spreading the virus.

MOSCOW, December 20 (Sputnik) — Liberia's Senate elections previously delayed due to the Ebola outbreak are set to be held Saturday.

According to the final list of candidates published by the country's National Elections Commission on its official website, there are 139 candidates competing for 15 seats in the Senate.

In October, the elections were postponed due to the Ebola outbreak and growing fears of voters spreading the virus.

On Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon visited Liberia in the framework of his tour of West African countries impacted by Ebola. He paid tribute to the doctors and medical workers combating the virus on the front line.

According to the World Health Organization's latest data, the total number of persons affected by Ebola in West Africa is 18,603, with 6,915 lethal cases. There have been 649 cases of Ebola among medical personnel, 365 of which were lethal. As of December 14, in Liberia there were 7,819 confirmed, probable and suspected Ebola cases.

Ebola hemorrhagic fever is a deadly disease that spreads through the contact with bodily fluids of infected persons, or upon contact with contaminated items.

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