Liberia free of Ebola for second time

Liberia is free of Ebola for the second time since the epidemic first entered its borders more than a year ago.

The World Health Organization announced Thursday that the country has fully eliminated Ebola, bringing West Africa one step closer to ending its epidemic.

{mosads}“WHO commends the Government of Liberia and its people on the successful response to this recent re-emergence. It is in full accord with government calls for sustained vigilance,” the WHO wrote in a statement.

Liberia has not seen a new case of Ebola in 42 days, a measure that is used because it is twice the length of the disease’s incubation period.

The country had previously been pronounced Ebola-free this spring, but health officials announced on June 29 that another person who recently died had tested positive for the disease. Five additional people, one of whom died, later tested positive as well.

Liberia is one of three countries to be struck by the epidemic over the last year. About 4,800 people have died of Ebola in Liberia out of 5,000 cases.

The other two countries affected by Ebola are still battling the disease, though their caseloads are at the lowest point in a year.

Guinea and Sierra Leone still have 10 and four confirmed cases, respectively, within their borders, according to the WHO. That compares to a peak of 526 cases in Guinea and 1,997 cases in Sierra Leone last November.

The WHO, which is part of the United Nations, has struggled to contain the highly contagious disease, which also kills the majority of people it infects.