-Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan Warns as NPHIL’s Ebola Disclosure Worries Liberians
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA – Prominent Liberian health expert, and embattled Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan, has warned that the government’s handling of 16 foreign nationals being screened for Ebola poses a danger to the country, as public anxiety mounts over a possible outbreak.
Dr. Nyan issued the warning on Tuesday, hours after the Acting Director General of the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), Dr. Sia Wata Camanor, disclosed that the entity is currently screening and monitoring 16 foreign nationals who recently arrived in Liberia from Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo—countries where active Ebola cases have been reported.
She made the disclosure when she appeared before the House of Representatives on Tuesday, May 26, 2026. According to her, the screening and monitoring measures are part of Liberia’s enhanced surveillance and preparedness efforts in response to the potential reemergence of the deadly Ebola virus on the African continent. Dr. Sia Wata Camanor also reaffirmed that Liberia has not recorded any confirmed cases of the disease.
However, Dr. Dougbeh Chris Nyan told this paper that health authorities must disclose where the 16 foreign nationals are being isolated and what specific care, monitoring, and infection control measures are being applied. “While public health authorities are tight-lipped about certain details regarding the 16 foreign nationals currently held on suspicion of Ebola infection, this poses a danger to Liberia and neighbouring countries. Authorities would have to say where the 16 persons are being isolated and what specific care, monitoring, and infection control measures are being applied,” he said.
Commenting on what the news means for Liberia, he said, “Liberia, a country which experienced a devastating Ebola outbreak in 2014 must take this seriously given nature of the Ebola virus, particularly that we are now being confronted with a new strain, the Bundibugyo- that we have not encountered in the past.” He criticized the manner in which health authorities have addressed the situation over the past 48 hours, saying the public is already in a state of panic.
His words, “Certainly, the public has always been concerned about the Ebola outbreak in the DR Congo and Uganda, hence about Liberia’s preparedness should we encounter an imported confirmed case. There is already an existing panic from the manner in which Liberian health authorities inappropriately addressed the situation in the past 48 hours. This panic will continue to increase if health authorities do not communicate well with the public in a timely and transparent manner.”
Moreover, Dr. Nyan urged health authorities to be “transparent, accurate and timely in handling the current situation of the 16 suspected nationals from the current Ebola-affected countries of Uganda and the DRC.” The National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) Surveillance disclosure has heightened panic and drawn mixed reactions from members of the public.
A social media user identified as Wuo Bekah said: “That lady was right. From her physical expression, she was relaxed. I am sure they are only holding her because she was not the rightful person to talk.” Another user, Chester, wrote: “Nothing strange here. That virus is in the making. This is how it all started and we heard one big man saying, how can we close our border with Guinea when we need pepper to cook?”
Following the health officials’ appearance, the Plenary of the House of Representatives constituted a special committee on Tuesday, May 26, 2026, to work with the Ministry of Health and the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL) regarding the country’s preparedness for any possible outbreak of Ebola reportedly affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighboring Central African nations.
The committee is chaired by the Chairperson on Health, Hon. Julie F. Wiah, and comprises representatives from the Committees on Ways, Means and Finance, Gender, and other designated resource persons including Hon. Musa Bility, Hon. Bernard Blue Benson, and Hon. Dixon Seboe. The committee has been mandated to report its findings and recommendations to Plenary on Thursday. Conspicuously, Liberia’s Health Minister Louise Kpoto informed the Liberian Senate on Tuesday that the total preparedness budget for the fight against Ebola is 4.2 million USD.
Nurse suspended over hoax audio
The disclosure comes as a registered nurse at the E. S. Grant Psychiatric Hospital faces investigation after a voice message she allegedly recorded sparked widespread panic across Liberia over the weekend. The audio recording, attributed to Ms. Paola N. Bedell, began circulating on social media platforms on Friday, May 22, 2026. In the now-viral clip, Bedell claimed that multiple patients exhibiting symptoms suggestive of the Ebola virus had been transferred from the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Medical Center in Sinkor to a holding center in Monrovia.
According to the audio, the suspected patients had recently returned from a church conference in Uganda—a country that has previously managed Ebola outbreaks—before developing symptoms. Bedell further alleged in the recording that the JFK Medical Center, in collaboration with Liberia’s Ministry of Health, was attempting to conceal the cases from the public. The message urged Liberians to immediately resume rigorous handwashing, avoid physical contact, and don personal protective equipment (PPE).
The recording quickly spread across multiple platforms, both locally and internationally, triggering mass anxiety in a population still haunted by the 2014-2016 West African Ebola epidemic, which claimed over 4,800 lives in Liberia alone.
The level of public alarm prompted the direct involvement of national security agencies. On Saturday, May 23, Bedell was apprehended by the Liberia National Police (LNP). She was released on bail on Monday, May 25, by her legal team.
Following her release, Bedell stated that the message was intended solely for prevention purposes. She claimed she had been informally tipped off by health officials at JFK regarding a potential health risk and acted out of concern for public safety. In a formal suspension letter dated May 25, 2026, addressed to Bedell and signed by Dr. Linda A. Birch, Chief Executive Officer and General Administrator of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, informed the nurse of her immediate suspension pending the outcome of an ongoing investigation.
The letter explicitly cited the audio message, noting that Bedell had alleged “that there were patients with symptoms suggestive of Ebola virus disease who had recently returned from a church conference in Uganda” and that the hospital, together with the Ministry of Health, was trying to hide the cases. Dr. Birch emphasized that the suspension “is not a presumption of guilt but a necessary step to allow for a thorough and impartial investigation.” During the suspension period, Bedell has been ordered to refrain from performing any official duties or representing JFK Medical Center or the E. S. Grant Psychiatric Hospital in any capacity.
Meanwhile, Liberia’s Ministry of Health, the National Public Health Institute of Liberia (NPHIL), and the John F. Kennedy Medical Center (JFKMC) denied the rumors last week. The three institutions clarified that Liberia currently has no suspected, probable, or confirmed case of Ebola. The health authorities urged the public to remain calm and to refrain from spreading or giving credence to misleading information and unverified reports, which they described as being intended to create unnecessary panic and attract attention on social media.
The World Health Organization(WHO) has declared the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Uganda a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). This declaration is driven by a surge in cases linked to the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, for which no approved vaccines or specific treatments exist.
The Ministry of Health of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) reports 105 confirmed cases (including 10 deaths) and 906 suspected cases (including 223 deaths). The epicenter is in Ituri province, but transmission has spread to North Kivu and South Kivu provinces. Also, Uganda has 7 confirmed cases and 1 death have been reported, primarily centered in the capital city of Kampala, with several cases directly linked to travel from the DRC.
Ebola disease is a severe, and often fatal viral illness that primarily affects humans and non-human primates. The 2014–2016 Ebola outbreak devastated Liberia, making it the hardest-hit country with nearly half of all deaths recorded during the epidemic. In total, Liberia documented 10,672 cases and 4,809 deaths, which represented roughly 40 percent of the fatalities across West Africa.
The crisis escalated with terrifying speed, as the capital city of Monrovia saw between 300 and 400 new cases every week during the peak months of August and September 2014. The overall fatality rate for infected Liberians was 53.3 percent, but for health workers who bravely treated patients, the rate was a staggering 81.8 percent.
Liberia’s initial response was paralyzed by a weak healthcare system that had never fully recovered from years of civil war. Many clinics lacked running water or electricity, which caused infections to skyrocket among medical staff. Widespread fear of the unknown Ebola Treatment Units led many sick people to avoid seeking care, and some communities believed the disease had no cure at all.
The tide turned only when international organizations shifted from coercive measures to community-based strategies. Organizations like Oxfam trained local Liberians to go door-to-door, where they dispelled dangerous rumors about bleach showers or body snatching. When a new case appeared in a remote village, specialized Rapid Isolation and Treatment teams, known as RITE teams, were deployed within hours to stop the chain of transmission.
