The nation was declared Ebola-free for the second time on September 3, 2015 by the World Health Organization after a successful fight to contain the virus which has since killed over 11,000 people in the three Mano River Union countries of Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone and 4,800 people in Liberia alone.
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“WHO stresses ongoing risk of flare-ups due to the re-emergence of the virus throughout 2016 due to persistence of the virus in the survivor population”, a spokesman said. This was because survivors can carry the virus for months and pass it on.
The country was declared free of the virus late previous year, and the region as a whole cleared when Liberia was pronounced Ebola-free on Thursday.
The WHO official spoke in the Liberian capital following the elapse of period for declaration of Ebola-free country.
On Wednesday, a report from a group of worldwide health experts convened in the wake of the crisis warned that infectious diseases represent a threat matched only by wars and natural disasters when it comes to endangering life and disrupting societies.
This followed increased vigilance and surveillance on November 23, 2015.
“Ebola’s scars will not soon fade, especially for survivors and their families, and for the heroic health workers who cared for the infected”.
He said the rapid end of the flare-up is a concrete demonstration of Liberia’s strengthened capacity to manage Ebola outbreaks.
Gasasira hoped no recurrence of the deadly disease will surface again. We have now gone more than six weeks with no new cases. “But given the tenacity of the Ebola virus, there is a real risk of additional flare-ups”, he said. Since March of a year ago, the World Health Organization has documented 10 flare-ups of infection that were not part of the original outbreak.
“I am very happy that this episode has finally come to a positive conclusion”.
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“I played table tennis with them and got encouragement from the doctor and that was a defining moment during my rehabilitation” she added.
