Liberia was just about to declare itself free of Ebola, but another case has been diagnosed. It is not certain how the woman may have contracted the disease, but she may have done so by having sex with a person who survived the viral infection, according to health officials there.
The case is troubling, both because it dashes hopes that Liberia's Ebola outbreak was halted and because the women does not seem to have been in contact with any person on an Ebola contact list nor has she traveled to either Sierra Leone or Guinea where the outbreak is still ongoing. She tested positive in one test, and another test will be done to confirm the diagnosis.
Health officials are investigating whether the patient had a visitor from Sierra Leone or Guinea or if she had sex with a man who survived Ebola. The semen of an Ebola survivor can carry the virus for up to three months after his infection has abated. Authorities have warned male Ebola survivors to abstain from sex for three months after their illness.
Liberia is the West African country that was hardest hit by the Ebola outbreak. Of the more than 10,000 people who died in Africa of Ebola, more than 4,200 were Liberians.
The last previous case of Ebola in Liberia was discharged from the hospital on March 5. The country would have been able to declare itself Ebola free 42 days from then, which is twice the number of days between when a person is infected and when they show symptoms.
The outbreak of Ebola in West Africa has caused world health experts to re-evaluate how best to handle epidemics. There were delays in recognizing the seriousness of the outbreak and in dealing with it.
