No plan to close borders

The Government of Liberia says it has no plan to close borders with neighboring countries despite upsurge in new cases of the Ebola Virus Disease in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The Liberian authorities maintain that the decision to keep the borders open is to make sure citizens have free access in and out of Liberia.

Deputy Information Minister Isaac W. Jackson however, told reporters Tuesday, 23 June during a weekly press briefing that the fact that the borders will remain open shouldn’t stop Liberians from adhering to all Ebola preventive measures prescribed by health authorities such as hands washing temperature check, among others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of Ebola here on May 9th, and formally certificated Liberia an Ebola freed country. The health system in Liberia continues to monitor for new cases and to take precaution against transmission.

A WHO report dated June 10 says in recent weeks, there were decline in case incidence and the contraction of the geographic area affected by Ebola virus disease (EVD) transmission that was apparent throughout April and early May. In total, 31 confirmed cases of EVD were reported in the week ending 7 June: 16 cases in Guinea and 15 in Sierra Leone.

This is the second consecutive weekly increase in case incidence and the highest weekly total number of cases reported from Sierra Leone since late March. In addition, cases were reported from a widening geographical area in Guinea and Sierra Leone, and the continued occurrence of cases that arise from unknown sources of infection highlights the challenges still faced in finding and eliminating every chain of transmission in both countries. – Lewis S. Teh