Assistant Heath Minister Tolbert Nenswah confirmed on Monday that 49 new cases of Ebola Virus Disease have been confirmed in Liberia's West African border with Sierra Leone. The new cases emerged following recent news that the spread of the potentially deadly virus has slowed down in the country.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Nenswah said, "In a very small population, an increase in the number of [Ebola] cases raises high level of concerns that we need to take very seriously as people of Liberia and people of Grand Cape Mount in particular." He then blamed the dozens of new cases to the travel between the ravaged countries and also to the traditions on washing of dead bodies.
Many say that the customary traditions on funerals of their dead are the culprits in the difficulty to curb the said outbreak. Subsequently, evidences were brought out that the cases in Liberia has decreased from 500 a day during the peak of the infection to about just 50 a day.
Another scenario is present in Sierra Leone where it has surpassed Liberia as the country most affected by the outbreak. In the last month, they reported more than 1,000 new cases of Ebola. They had more than 9,000 reported cases and more than 2,500 deaths. Liberia has more than 7,800 cases and more than 3,300 reported deaths from the virus.
Overall, the virus has infected nearly 20,000 people and the death toll has reached 7,800 based on the December 18 report from the World Health Organization (WHO). Hope swirls over West Africa as human trials for the vaccine against Ebola has been initiated as well as other experimental treatment methods. Health officials are eyeing to permanently fight and curb the virus by mid-2015.
In related news, Scotland has revealed their first ever Ebola case. The patient was moved to London for more comprehensive treatment and care.