A 17-year-old boy has reportedly died of Ebola virus disease in Liberia, barely six weeks after the country was declared free of the deadly disease.
Liberia’s Deputy Health Minister, Tolbert Nyenswah who confirmed that the body of the deceased from Nedowein, a town 30 miles (48km) from the capital, near the main airport, tested positive for Ebola, also said officials are investigating how he contracted the virus.
Nyenswah promised that the surveillance team was dealing with the situation effectively and there was no need for the public to panic. “We have said over and over again that there was possibility that there could be a resurgence of the virus in Liberia. The only complication is that the person died before we tested the body as part of our surveillance system. But our surveillance team, our capacity is very strong,” he said.
Liberia was declared free of Ebola last May, following the deadliest outbreak in the disease with more than 11,000 deaths in Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone since December 2013.
By Olisemeka Obeche (with agency reports)
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