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WHO declares Liberia free of Ebola transmission
WHO has declared Liberia to be free of continued Ebola virus transmission, according to a press release.
Forty-four days have passed since the last confirmed case of the disease within the country was safely buried. As this has surpassed the 42-day period set by WHO, the organization now considers the Ebola outbreak to have ended.
Since the Liberian epidemic began in March 2014, there have been 10,564 confirmed cases and 4,716 deaths reported within the country. According to WHO, this is the highest number of Ebola-related deaths reported among any country, and the second highest number of reported cases.
“In the case of Liberia, community engagement was key to stemming transmission of the virus and community vigilance will be essential to preventing its re-emergence,” the organization wrote in the press release. “WHO joins the Liberian government in recognizing that risk and urging Liberians not to let their guard down until the entire sub-region is free from Ebola.”
As of May 11, there have been 26,628 reported cases of Ebola virus worldwide and 11,020 related deaths, according to WHO.