Liberians will be able to breathe a little easier no pun intended after a small shipment of the experimental drug Zmapp arrived in Monrovia from the U.S. Roughly three days ago, the Liberian government requested Zmapp to use on two Liberian doctors who show signs of gradual improvements. Both doctors are currently quarantined at JFK Hospital under the eyes of Liberian and international medical experts mentoring both. Monrovia and other cities across Liberia are recovering from earlier scares of an Ebola pandemic that drove the majority of Monrovia and other county town residents indoors. Local businesses are once again picking up and markets are reopening. The Liberian economy suffered setbacks that weren't strong enough to drag the economy into a recession or a crash but still carried weight. Schools including primary and secondary, universities, medical check ups and hospital visits have been hampered while food prices, basic necessities such as water, clothing, building materials, disinfectants, and cab/bus fares around the capital and in the countryside have skyrocketed due to the Ebola threat. Reconstruction and new infrastructure projects usually built during the dry season have also been halted for the past three weeks. The hardest setback is in Liberia's transportation sector. Neighboring countries such as Cote d' Ivoire have declared an economic blockade against Liberia fearing an Ebola outbreak similar to Nigeria. The blockade also extends to all the Ebola infected countries ie Sierra Leone, Guinea and Nigeria. The Port of Abidjan and Cote d' Ivoire are avoiding even the slightest mistake or leniency when dealing with cargo ships who may have sick workers and passengers with Ebola like and even non Ebola like symptoms. Liberia's major border crossings remain close. In the United States, Western African communities across New York City and elsewhere have been hosting fundraisers for Ebola victims and holding prayer vigils for relatives and family members back home.
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