Ebola still stands at 2

The Deputy Minister of Health-designate and Head of the Incident Management System or IMS, Tolbert Nyenswah, has disclosed that there are two new cases of Ebola in the ETU so far.

Nyenswah said the two new cases came from the 17 years old boy, who reportedly died in Nedowein, Lower Margibi County. Giving an update yesterday, July 2, 2015 at the Ministry of Information, Cultural Affairs and Tourism on capitol hill during its weekly press briefing, Minister Nyenswah noted that the incident Management team was working along with health authorities in Margibi, and were currently doing a line-listing of people in the county where the boy fell prey to the virus.

He said all of the tests conducted by health authorities were negative, except the 175 contacts made by the boy, saying all of such contacts are being line-listed to avoid further spread of the virus in the county.

He told reporters that the 175 contacts were under proper monitoring system and self quarantine for the next 21 days by the county health authorities to ensure that there’s no other case.

According to him, the two new cases of Ebola included a 27-year old female. He further disclosed that there were five households being considered hot spots and high risk area in the district where the boy died- something that prompted the county health team to allow all of its 16 health facilities opened, while health care workers continue to follow the prescribed preventive measure.

Nyenswah described Mabaka District in Lower Margibi County where the boy died as safe because the virus has not move any step away from the area to other parts of the county.

On Tuesday, June 30, Liberian health authorities said they were investigating the source of the renewed outbreak of Ebola, after a 17- year old boy testing positive, subsequently died on June 24th in Margibi County.

It was the first reported case, nearly two months after the World Health Organization or WHO declared Liberia Ebola-free on May 9 and formally certificated the Government of Liberia.

Deputy Health Minister-designate and head of the Incident Management System Tolbert Nyenswah told the VOA Tuesday that the government hadn’t been able to establish the source of the latest infection.

Nyenswah, however, clarified that the new case was not traceable to neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone- two countries still battling the epidemic, respectively.

News of the latest infection comes amidst recent rumor in Monrovia that there were new cases in Lofa County, northern Liberia, but the government denied. George Barpeen edited