Days after announcing that Ebola no longer qualifies as an international health emergency, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed a new case of Ebola in Liberia – a 30-year old woman who died yesterday afternoon while being transferred to a hospital in the capital Monrovia.
According to WHO statement, “Liberia’s Health Minister, WHO and partner agencies immediately sent a team to the community outside Monrovia where the woman lived and the clininc where she was being treated to begin case investigation and identification of individuals who may have been in contact with her.
Authorities in the Liberian health ministry have convened an emergency meeting on Friday morning with key partners to coordinate and plan a “rapid response”.
It will be recalled that flare-up have occurred before in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. It is the third flare-up of Ebola virus disease since its original outbreak was declared over on 9 May 2015. The last flare-up began in November 2015 and ended 14 January 2015.
The WHO also confirmed that eight cases and seven deaths have occurred in Guinea since late February. In fact the country, according to the health organisation, is responding to a new cluster of Ebola cases in its southern prefecture of Nzérékoré.
The organisation however maintained that “Ebola is no longer a public health emergency of international concern; but flare-ups, at decreasing frequency, are expected.
“WHO has continuously said that flare-ups should be anticipated, largely due to Ebola virus persistence in survivors.”
The countries it said must remain in high alert and ready to respond.
“WHO has maintained close to 1,000 experienced staff in the region who are ready to contribute to emergency response operations if needed, while working to recover and strengthen health systems in the three countries.
