Liberia again declared free of Ebola transmission as number of cases remains stable in wider West Africa

The World Health Organization (WHO) today declared Liberia free of Ebola virus transmission after the disease had resurfaced in June, and as the country enters a 90-day period of heightened surveillance, the number of cases in the rest of West Africa remained stable at three for the fifth consecutive week.

“Liberia’s ability to effectively respond to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease is due to intensified vigilance and rapid response by the government and multiple partners,” WHO said [2]. “Transmission had been declared over previously on 9 May 2015, but the disease re-emerged on 29 June and 6 additional cases were identified.”

In the latest update on Ebola, which has taken the lives of more than 11,000 people mainly in West Africa, WHO said 3 confirmed cases of Ebola were reported in the week to 30 August: two in Guinea and one in Sierra Leone.

The case in Sierra Leone is the first in the country for over 2 weeks, and the detection of the new has prompted the use of an experimental vaccine to fight the disease.