Breaking news out of Liberia has prompted the World Health Organization to make an announcement.
The World Health Organization has just made a big announcement regarding Ebola in Africa.
Liberia’s latest Ebola outbreak is official over, a huge announcement that means everyone in the region can breathe a little easier, the WHO announced on their website.
Liberia is the last of the three countrie to receive the declaration. Sierre Leone and Guinea were also ravaged by the disease, which created a worldwide health scare. That means te Ebola outbreak is officially over, period — for now.
The declaration was made 42 days after tests showed that the last infected person had been cured of the virus. Now, Liberia’s health ministry will monitor the situation for 90 days to ensure that no new cases crop up.
There’s reason to be cautious. The outbreak was actually declared over in Liberia back in May 2015, but new cases emerged multiple times. A total of 4,800 people have been killed by the devastating illness. Including all of West Africa, that number rises to 11,300.
Ebola can hang around in the bodily fluids of Ebola survivors, so health authorities must be vigilant, especially since thousands of survivors still live in Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia.
“WHO commends Liberia’s government and people on their effective response to this recent re-emergence of Ebola,” says Dr Alex Gasasira, WHO Representative in Liberia. “WHO will continue to support Liberia in its effort to prevent, detect and respond to suspected cases.”
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