As the world reels from its worst Ebola outbreak , the nation hardest hit is declaring a shortage of body bags , which are crucial to preventing the spread of the deadly virus . Liberia , one of three countries most affected by the outbreak , said it has 4,900 body bags nationwide . It needs 85,000 more in the next six months , the Health Ministry said in a statement . A grim inventory of supplies shows body bags were not the only items lacking . Liberia is also experiencing a shortage of other supplies needed to fight the virus , including protective suits , face masks , gloves and goggles . Liberia said it needs 2.4 million boxes of gloves in the next six months , but it has only 18,000 boxes . Each box has 100 pairs . It also needs about 1.2 million hooded overalls within the same time frame , but it has only 165,000 . The numbers are the latest setback in Liberia 's fight against Ebola , which has killed at least 2,458 people in the nation . This week , health workers in the nation went on strike to demand higher pay , leaving some clinics unattended . Since the outbreak started in March , about 9,000 Ebola cases and 4,493 deaths have been reported , mostly in Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone , according to the World Health Organization . More than half of the deaths have been in Liberia . And the numbers are expected to skyrocket . There could be up to 10,000 new Ebola cases per week in the three hardest-hit nations by the end of the year , the World Health Organization said . It warned that things will get worse before they get better . Liberia has some supplies arriving in the next week , but it says they are still insufficient . Items scheduled to arrive do n't include body bags . In addition to the three nations , a handful of Ebola cases have also been reported in Senegal , Nigeria , Spain and the United States .
Ebola has killed at least 4,493 people , mostly in Guinea , Liberia and Sierra Leone , WHO says . Liberia is short of supplies needed to fight the virus . Items lacking include protective suits , gloves and goggles . The grim inventory highlights how ill-equipped the nation is to fight Ebola .