Liberia declared Ebola-free, signalling end to West African epidemic
Liberia was declared free of the Ebola virus by global health experts on January 14, a milestone that signalled an end to an epidemic in West Africa that has killed more than 11,300 people.
But the World Health Organisation (WHO) warned there could still be flare-ups of the disease in the region, which has suffered the world's deadliest outbreak over the past two years, as survivors can carry the virus for months and could pass it on.
In an almost immediate sign of the potential risks, Sierra Leone's health ministry reported on January 14 a suspected Ebola death in the Tonkolili district east of the capital Freetown.
"The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has dispatched a team supported by international partners to investigate the suspected death and its circumstances," it said in a note sent to health officials seen by Reuters.
The message did not specify if the body of the deceased had already been tested for the virus and health officials were not immediately available for further comment. The symptoms of Ebola resemble those of other diseases such as malaria.
Liberia was the last affected country to get the all-clear, with no cases of Ebola for 42 days, twice the length of the virus's "incubation period" - the time elapsed between transmission of the disease and the appearance of symptoms.
"All known chains of transmission have been stopped in West Africa," the WHO, a UN agency, said on January 14.
The other affected countries, Guinea and Sierra Leone, were declared Ebola-free late last year. There were cases in seven other countries including Nigeria, the United States and Spain, but almost all the deaths were in the West African nations.
"It is the first time since the start of the ... epidemic in West Africa two years ago that the three hardest-hit countries had zero cases for at least 42 days," said WHO's Liberia representative Alex Gasasira.