The Ebola outbreak threatens to become a political crisis that could unravel years of effort to stabilise West Africa, a think tank has warned.
“The worst-hit countries now face widespread chaos and, potentially, collapse,” the International Crisis Group (ICG) said.
The world’s largest outbreak of Ebola has caused 2,811 deaths so far, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.
The UN has warned that infections could treble to 20,000 by November.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said this could happen if efforts to tackle the outbreak were not stepped up.
Both Liberia and Sierra Leone are recovering from brutal civil wars and Guinea has faced coups and ethnic unrest.
“Adding social breakdown to the epidemic would create disaster perhaps impossible to manage,” the ICG statement said.