|
Liberia confirms third
Ebola case in new outbreak
Send a link to a friend
[July 02, 2015]
By Alphonso Toweh
MONROVIA (Reuters) - Liberia confirmed a
third new case of the deadly Ebola virus on Thursday, as the disease has
re-emerged in recent days nearly two months after the outbreak was
declared over in the West African nation.
|
|
 The discovery of new cases undermines the biggest success story of
the West African Ebola outbreak which began last year, the deadliest
ever.
Liberia, where 4,800 people have died out of the 11,200 killed in
the outbreak, was declared Ebola-free on May 9 even as the disease
has continued to infect new victims in neighbouring Sierra Leone and
Guinea.
The first new case, 17-year-old Abraham Memaigar, died on Sunday in
a rural area of Margibi County, about 50 km (30 miles) from the
capital Monrovia.
"We have, as of yesterday, three confirmed cases. One expired, who
was the 17-year-old boy ... The two live cases are 24 years old and
27 years old. They are stable," Deputy Health Minister Tolbert
Nyenswah said on Thursday.
Memaigar was initially misdiagnosed with malaria. He was buried the
day he dead and tests later confirmed his Ebola infection.
None of the new victims are known to have travelled to Guinea or
Liberia, leading to speculation among the medical community that
there could be hidden pockets of the disease or new means of
transmission.
Nyenswah said health officials were monitoring 175 people believed
to have come into contact with the three cases, though none had yet
exhibited symptoms of the disease.
[to top of second column] |
"There is no further spread of the virus to any part of the country
as we speak," he said. "It is being localised in Margibi and not the
entire country, but in that single town called Nedowein."
A U.S. military operation aimed at helping Liberia's government
counter the outbreak has mostly withdrawn. But the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, a U.S. health body, said it was
working with local authorities to study the origin of the cases and
stop the virus spreading.
(Additional reporting by James Harding Giahyue and Emma Farge;
Writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Peter Graff)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
