This Article is From Jun 09, 2016

Liberia Health Ministry Declares Latest Ebola Outbreak Over

Liberia Health Ministry Declares Latest Ebola Outbreak Over

Liberia was the country worst hit by Ebola outbreak, with more than 4,800 people killed. (Representational Image)

Monrovia, Liberia: Liberia's health ministry said on Thursday the country was free of Ebola, meaning there are no known cases of the deadly tropical virus left in west Africa.

"Liberia is again free of Ebola. We have just ended the incubation period following the last case," Sorbor George, chief of communication at the ministry, told AFP.

Liberia was the country worst hit by the outbreak, with more than 4,800 people killed.
At its peak in 2014, Ebola sparked anxiety about a possible global pandemic and led some governments to threaten or unilaterally enforce travel bans to and from the worst-affected countries -- Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Guinea was declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization on June 1 and Sierra Leone on March 17.

In all, the virus affected 10 countries, including the United States and Spain, with more than 28,000 cases reported.

The Liberian health ministry called on people to remain vigilant in order to avoid another outbreak in the future, with the all-clear given only for new cases to be registered.

"We have been carrying on a sensitisation campaign. This campaign will continue, and we will still be in readiness to contain any eventual outbreak," Sorbor George said.

The risk of infection lasts beyond the 42-day period because the virus can survive in certain bodily fluids of survivors, particularly sperm, where it can linger up to a year, according to experts.

In Paynesville, the Monrovia suburb where the most recent spate of cases were registered, residents were glad to be moving on.

"It is good to hear that Ebola is gone again, but from what we saw recently we remain resilient in our preventive measures. We don't want our neighbourhood's name to be attached to the outbreak," said Bubakar Sanor, 56.

"We are happy that our health workers are now up to the task, containing the virus with bravery and professionalism," he told AFP.


(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
.