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| Liberia Reports New Cases of Ebola | Liberia Reports New Cases of Ebola |
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| MONROVIA, Liberia — Three new cases of Ebola have emerged in Liberia since the country was declared free of the virus on May 9, highlighting the continuing threat of viral outbreaks in West Africa. The Liberian government said it was tracing scores of people who had recent contact with the three patients. | MONROVIA, Liberia — Three new cases of Ebola have emerged in Liberia since the country was declared free of the virus on May 9, highlighting the continuing threat of viral outbreaks in West Africa. The Liberian government said it was tracing scores of people who had recent contact with the three patients. |
| Officials have yet to determine the source of the infections, whether they are related, or whether they involve a new strain of the virus or a re-emergence of a known strain. | |
| “We’re looking at all possibilities,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said his agency was assisting the Liberian government. | “We’re looking at all possibilities,” said Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who said his agency was assisting the Liberian government. |
| The government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf took several precautionary steps on Thursday to help head off any further spread of the virus. The Health Ministry said it expected to have thermal cameras set up at the main international airport by the end of the day, to spot travelers who are running fevers. | |
| The first of the three new cases was not identified until the patient, a 17-year-old boy from Margibi County, had died. Tests of samples taken from his corpse confirmed on Sunday that he was infected with the virus. | The first of the three new cases was not identified until the patient, a 17-year-old boy from Margibi County, had died. Tests of samples taken from his corpse confirmed on Sunday that he was infected with the virus. |
| The Liberian government is treating the second and third cases as confirmed, but Dr. Frieden said that laboratory results for those cases were indeterminate or only very weakly positive for Ebola. | The Liberian government is treating the second and third cases as confirmed, but Dr. Frieden said that laboratory results for those cases were indeterminate or only very weakly positive for Ebola. |
| The deputy minister of health, Tolbert Nyenswah, said at a news conference here Thursday that the new outbreak was “localized” and “contained in the community of Needowein.” He said that residents were cooperating with the authorities, and that prevention and control measures were being strengthened across the country. | |
| But the third case came from a different area: Paynesville, on the edge of the capital. | |
| Mr. Nyenswah said the second and third new Ebola patients, and six other possible cases, were isolation in a government-run Ebola treatment center that was previously operated by Doctors Without Borders, an international medical charity. | Mr. Nyenswah said the second and third new Ebola patients, and six other possible cases, were isolation in a government-run Ebola treatment center that was previously operated by Doctors Without Borders, an international medical charity. |
| “The comeback of Ebola in Liberia was not unexpected, with the virus still active in the region,” Peter Graaff, the head of the United Nations emergency response team for Ebola, wrote in a statement. With the onset of the rainy season, when illnesses with similar initial symptoms to Ebola are common, Mr. Graaff said, “the real test of how well the system still works will be in the next few weeks.” | “The comeback of Ebola in Liberia was not unexpected, with the virus still active in the region,” Peter Graaff, the head of the United Nations emergency response team for Ebola, wrote in a statement. With the onset of the rainy season, when illnesses with similar initial symptoms to Ebola are common, Mr. Graaff said, “the real test of how well the system still works will be in the next few weeks.” |
| Experts said constant vigilance would be needed. “There is growing evidence that Ebola is and will be endemic in West Africa, and that the system is vulnerable to other catastrophes,” said Aitor Sanchez-Lacomba, the International Rescue Committee country director for Liberia. “The health system doesn’t need an eradication approach; it needs to be prepared. We need to ensure that all health facilities and communities in West Africa have long-term prevention and rapid response capability for a wide range of hazards.” | |
| Mr. Nyenswah insisted at the news conference that the government had a handle on the latest cases. “Things are basically under our control,” he said, “and we are taking charge of this.” | Mr. Nyenswah insisted at the news conference that the government had a handle on the latest cases. “Things are basically under our control,” he said, “and we are taking charge of this.” |