Liberia Awaits Ebola-Free Status

There have been no new Ebola cases reported in Liberia since its last confirmed patient was discharged from a treatment center last Thursday. According to the guidelines of World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 42 clear days are needed for 'Ebola-Free' status to be officially declared.

A few months ago, Ebola threatened Liberia. Now, Liberia is counting the days for 'Ebola-Free' status. However, Ebola is still prevalent in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea.

In March 2014, a rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever started in the three countries. Liberia believed it was in good position to defeat the disease and no new cases were reported for weeks in May.

But just a couple of days before the 42-day deadline was reached, Ebola returned and the outbreak turned into the world's worst Ebola epidemic.

Ivan Quentin, a water and sanitation expert with international medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), said "For me, this is the moment, the most dangerous moment, and the most critical moment in an outbreak because the cases are going down and down and down, days after days, and people start to relax, and this is when we get accidents."

Ebola is a tricky disease. It emerges and disappears mysteriously. "Tracking the disease needs to be improved, to ensure that Ebola doesn't emerge into Liberia where the disease is thought to be eradicated," said, Tim Shenk with Doctors Without Borders.



Source: Medindia