9th May, 2015
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Saturday declared Liberia free of Ebola after no new cases were reported for 42 days, twice the virus’ incubation period.
The last Ebola patient in Liberia died on March 27, WHO said in a statement.
Some 11,020 people were killed in the outbreak, which started in Guinea in December 2013 as more than 26,000 were infected.
The Ebola virus spreads through direct contact with the blood or other bodily fluids of an infected person and the fatality rate is estimated to be between 50 and 80 per cent.
Liberia was hard-hit by the outbreak due to a lack of health services.
Scientists and doctors are beginning to study the long-term effects of Ebola on the body, as survivors have reported muscle and joint pain as well as eyesight problems months after being declared cured.