Two
months after Liberia was declared free of Ebola, three confirmed
cases of the deadly disease have emerged in the West African nation.
The
nation's health ministry said a new case was confirmed Thursday, when
blood samples from a patient admitted in a hospital the same week tested
positive.
Two other high- risk
contacts also tested positive, and all three are undergoing care at an
Ebola treatment center in the capital of Monrovia, the health ministry
said in a statement.
More than 40 contacts are being monitored, said Margaret Ann Harris, a spokeswoman for the World Health Organization.
"it is possible we will find more cases," said Dr. Bernice Dahn, Liberia's' health minister. "The key is to stop it, find the source, and prevent the next one."
Liberia was first declared Ebola-free in May, but new cases later emerged.
Following another period of 42 days, two times the maximum incubation period, the WHO announced on Thursday that Liberia was Ebola-free for the second time.
Dahn said despite the setback, she's optimistic her nation will win the fight against Ebola.
"We must not lose hope and continue the practices we used to beat Ebola before," she said. "We can win this battle again."
With
4,808 deaths from Ebola, Liberia has the highest number of fatalities
from the outbreak, followed by Sierra Leone and Guinea.
More than 11,300 people died from the disease and mostly 28600 people were infected in three countries, according to the latest WHO data.
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