Liberia Declared Free of Ebola by World Health Organization
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BethanyFank/iStock/Thinkstock(MONROVIA, Liberia) — The World Health Organization announced Saturday that Liberia is now free of Ebola.
The West African country is now free of the deadly virus that killed more than 4,700 since the epidemic was declared last year.
Dr. Bruce Aylward, a W.H.O. special representative for Ebola, told ABC News it’s been six weeks since the last patient was buried without any new cases reported.
“We’ve had enough time, that is 42 days since the last case, and enough surveillance data, that is looking for and searching for the disease, to be confident that all the chains of transmission of Ebola that were happening in the country have now stopped,” Aylward said.
According to Aylward, over six months ago the country was reporting over 300 cases of Ebola a week. New reported cases in neighboring countries are now in the single digits.
Ceremonies were held Saturday in Liberia to celebrate survivors and remember the dead.
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