Officials said two tests conducted on the victim, who died this week, in the north of the country, turned positive. But its account suggested others could also be at risk.
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Reuters reported that the victim was a 22-year-old female student who had recently travelled.
Liberia, for example, was pronounced Ebola-free in May 2015, but the virus flared up twice before the World Health Organization could declare the country Ebola-free again on 14 January. The finding sent health workers into a flurry to find people she had interacted with. The WHO later confirmed the positive test in a statement to the AFP.
She had sought medical attention at a local hospital but was treated as an outpatient.
They said the family of the late Ms. Jalloh washed her remains ahead of her burial without knowing the health implications of touching her body.
“For now we want to keep observing the situation before deciding what the next steps will be”.
The WHO representative in Liberia, Alex Gasasira, pledged that the organization will continue to support Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to any new Ebola cases. He gave no further details.
Meanwhile, those countries still need to find a way to care for thousands of children dubbed “Ebola orphans”. However, safety measures, particularly a ban on traditional burial ceremonies, have faced stiff resistance at times.
The virus killed a total of 11,315 people including 4,000 in Sierra Leone, and sickened almost 29,000.
West Africa was finally declared Ebola-free on Thursday as the day marked marked the end of the probation period of Liberia ever since its last Ebola-affected patient was tested negative of the virus. Liberia achieved that status on Thursday, which prompted WHO’s announcement, according to The Latin American Herald Tribune.
It was officially credited with beating the epidemic for a second time in September before another small cluster of cases emerged.
The Sierra Leone death occurred earlier this week.
“The only way to know for sure is by testing whether pieces of the Ebola virus are present in the blood”, Neuman added.
Rick Brennan, the WHO’s chief of emergency risk management, hailed the declaration of the end of the epidemic as an important milestone but said in Geneva that “the job is still not done” due to the persistence of the virus in survivors.
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The UN health agency, however, warned that Ebola flare-ups as a result of the virus persisting in the semen of male survivors for up to 12 months could pose a residual for more flare-ups as people return to a “new normal”.
