Heart Wrenching : Harrowing Photos Capture The Brutal Effects Of Ebola(These Pictures Will Make You Cry)

It has claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people across the world so far. 

Now, a series of photos has captured the grim reality of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, West Africa.

The shocking images, taken by photographers John Moore and Mohammed Elshamy, show the brutal effects of the virus on victims and their loved ones.

One features a woman crawling desperately toward the body of her sister as a burial team carries it away for cremation on Saturday, while another shows the victim's mother and young daughters weeping as they come to terms with their loss.

Grief-stricken: These photos, taken by photographers John Moore and Mohammed Elshamy, show the grim reality of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia, West Africa.

 Above, a woman crawls toward the body of her sister as an Ebola burial team takes it away for cremation

Distraught: The woman's sister, a market vendor, collapsed and died outside her home in Monrovia, Liberia,  while leaving to walk to a treatment center, according to her relatives. Above, the woman is seen grieving on the ground following the burial team's departure

Tragic: Sophia Doe (right), and her young grand daughters weep as her daughter's remains are removed for cremation on Saturday

Beyond pain: In this image, Varney Jonson, 46, is seen crying out in pain as crews - donning white overalls, gloves and goggles - transport the body of his wife, Nama Fambule, to a crematorium following a year-long illness that he insists was not Ebola-related

Wrapped in a blanket: The pictures show the brutal effects of the virus on victims and their loved ones. Above, a victim's body

In one image, Varney Jonson, 46, is seen crying out in pain as crews - donning white overalls, gloves and goggles - transport the body of his wife, Nama Fambule, to a crematorium following a year-long illness that he insists was not Ebola-related.

As the proper burial of loved ones is so important in Liberian culture, the removal of infected bodies for incineration is all the more traumatic for surviving family members. Many relatives attempt to convince burial teams to leave the bodies behind by claiming they were struck down with another illness.

Meanwhile, in another photo, a woman is pictured clinging on to a grieving relative as she wails loudly while lying on the ground next to a body truck.

Other photos in the series show the body of Ebola victim Mekie Nagbe, 28, lying outside a house wrapped in a blanket, a masked Liberian policeman keeping an eye on grief-stricken crowds and crews removing the body of a four-year-old girl from a one-room apartment in Monrovia.

Wailing: In this photo, a woman clings on to a grieving relative as she wails loudly while lying on the ground next to a body truck

Mourning: Ms Doe holds her arms out as she grieves with her grandchildren while a burial team takes away the body of her daughter

Horrific: Mr Moore and Mr Elshamy spent weeks working on the front lines of the fight against Ebola in a bid to capture the images

Upset: As the proper burial of loved ones is so important in Liberian culture, the removal of infected bodies for incineration is all the more traumatic for surviving family members. Many relatives attempt to convince burial teams to leave the bodies behind

Body truck: An Ebola burial team removes the body of Nama Fambule for cremation on Saturday in Monrovia, Liberia. Relatives and neighbors said that she had been sick for more than a year with an undiagnosed illness and protested her body being taken away

Supporting each other: Mr Jonson grieves with family members as the body of his wife Nama Fambule is removed by Ebola crews

Restrained: The husband was visibly weeping and crying out as his spouse's body was taken away to be cremated on Saturday

Crying: On Friday, the World Health Organization announced the Ebola death toll is now 4,033. This brings the total number of confirmed and suspected cases of Ebola to 8,399. Above, the grieving relatives of an Ebola victim are seen crying in Monrovia, Liberia

Action: Family members and neighbors try to convince an Ebola burial team not to take away the body of Nama Fambule for cremation

Striking all ages: Another photo shows crews removing the body of a four-year-old girl, wrapped in a blanket, from an apartment

Liberian army soldiers and American troops are currently building an Ebola treatment center in Tubmanburg, Liberia, the first of 17 to be built nationwide, as part of the U.S. response to the epidemic.

Meanwhile, Unicef and partner agencies are distributing Ebola protection kits to help Liberian families avoid contracting the virus from sick loved ones in their homes, before they can get an open bed at an Ebola treatment center.

It comes as an NBC news crew that was exposed to a cameraman with the deadly virus has been forced to undergo a mandatory quarantine.

The group, which includes chief medical correspondent Nancy Snyderman, had been asked to isolate itself for 21 days after their colleague Ashoka Mukpo was diagnosed with Ebola this month.

Devastating effects: A woman grieves as Ebola burial team members arrive to take away the body of Mekie Nagbe, 28, for cremation

In mourning: A woman falls to the ground before wailing and holding out her arms after hearing of the fate of her loved one

Securing the body: A member of an Ebola burial team straps down the body of Ms Nagbe, before taking it for incineration on Saturday

Taken away: Most cases of Ebola - which can cause a temperature and vomiting - were recorded in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone

Keeping watch: A Liberian policeman is pictured watching as an Ebola burial team prepares to take away the body of Ms Nagbe

Turning to religion: A Muslim man holds his prayer beads as an Ebola burial team arrives to collect the body of a neighbor on Saturday

But someone in the NBC crew violated the voluntary agreement forcing New Jersey officials to step in and issue a mandatory quarantine order on Friday night. Officials confirmed that the order went into effect yesterday.

Yet, the state Health Department said that the crew remains symptom-free and there is no reason for concern of exposure to the deadly virus to the community.

The group was reporting on the Ebola outbreak for NBC News in Liberia when Mukpo was diagnosed with the deadly virus just a day after he was hired to work on the team. The cameraman was infected in West Africa, but is being treated in Nebrask.

Earlier this week, Thomas Eric Duncan - the first person to be diagnosed with Ebola in the U.S. - died in hospital in Dallas, Texas. The 42-year-old had contracted the virus in Liberia.

Well-protected: An Ebola burial team dresses in protective clothing before collecting the body of a woman, 54, from her home in the New Kru Town suburb of Monrovia, Liberia. People exposed to the virus typically develop symptoms two to 21 days after their exposure

Source: Daily Mail