Ebola victims' bodies to be cremated

The Liberian government has said the bodies of all Ebola victims must be cremated as fears rose that the disease could be spread by burials in residential areas.

The order came after a tense stand-off erupted over the weekend when health workers tried to bury more than 20 Ebola victims on the outskirts of Monrovia.

Authorities said military police officers were called in to help restore order so that the burials could take place.

West Africa is experiencing the largest recorded Ebola outbreak in history, with at least 729 deaths blamed on the disease.

Many contracted the disease by touching the bodies of victims as is traditional at funerals.

At least 17 bodies have been abandoned on Monrovia's streets in recent days, health officials said.

Meanwhile, plastic buckets are selling at a record pace to people who fill them with chlorine to disinfect their hands.

“This situation has gotten worse. We need our concerted effort, this country needs everybody right now,” information minister Lewis Brown said.

Never before has the disease with a fatality rate of at least 60% become so entrenched in urban population centres in Africa.

The situation is particularly dire in Liberia, where at least 156 people have succumbed to the disease, according to Doctors Without Borders.

Ebola is spread through contact with bodily fluids such as blood, sweat and vomit. Contact with the bodies of victims is particularly dangerous as evidenced by the fact that many victims contracted the disease when touching bodies at traditional funerals.

The mandate to cremate victims comes amid rising community opposition to burials for fear of contamination.