Efforts to contain an Ebola outbreak in Liberia have been dealt a major setback after a mob attacked a clinic in the capital of Monrovia. A large crowd forced open the isolation ward where Ebola patients were being held, causing at least 17 patients to flee. The attack appears to have been motivated by widely circulated rumors the virus is a Western invention or a hoax. On Friday, the head of Doctors Without Borders, Joanne Liu, said the Ebola outbreak has created a war-like atmosphere in western Africa.

Dr. Joanne Liu: “I really had the feeling that it is like a wartime, in terms of fear, general fear, all over where you are, nobody not understanding what’s going on. … And they need, right now, help. They need leadership, coordination, means they will not be able to overcome that by themselves, unless some extra capacity is coming in the country. And as well, if we don’t stabilize Liberia, we’ll never stabilize the whole region.”

Doctors Without Borders estimates the outbreak could take up to six months to contain. The outbreak began in Guinea before spreading to Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria, which have all declared national health emergencies.