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Overnight media reports have confirmed the death of the teenage boy who was the first of three recently identified Ebola cases in Liberia that represent the first cases in that country since July, and highlight how difficult getting to zero cases is going to be in West Africa.
Liberia Records First Ebola Death Since July
Associated Press
November 24, 2015 7:51 AM
MONROVIA, LIBERIA—
A health official in Liberia says the country has recorded its first Ebola death since July.
Dr. Francis Kateh, Liberia's chief medical officer, said by text message Tuesday that a 15-year-old boy who was confirmed positive for Ebola on Friday died Monday night. The boy was the first Ebola patient in the country since it was declared Ebola-free for a second time in September.
And at the same time, we have a new epidemiological update on the outbreak from the ECDC, with an emphasis on the recent re-emergence of Ebola in Liberia.
Epidemiological update: Outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa
23 Nov 2015
Background
An epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) has been ongoing in West Africa since December 2013, mainly affecting Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. On 8 August 2014, WHO declared the Ebola epidemic in West Africa a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). As of 18 November 2015, WHO has reported 28 598 cases of Ebola virus disease related to the outbreak in West Africa, including 11 299 deaths [1]. The number of cases in the most affected countries peaked in autumn 2014 and has been slowly decreasing since. Liberia was declared Ebola-free by WHO on 3 September 2015 and Sierra Leone on 7 November. Guinea has not reported new cases since 29 October 2015.
Current situation in Liberia
On 20 November 2015, the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare reported three confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease [2]. On 19 November 2015, a reference laboratory in Liberia reported an Ebola positive result in a sample from a patient who presented symptoms such as fever, weakness and bleeding at a hospital in Monrovia on 17 November 2015. The patient was placed in isolation. The Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare stated in a press release that four patients and high risk contacts are cared for at an Ebola Treatment Unit in Monrovia. The hospital where the patient was detected is undergoing decontamination and all health care workers who were in contact with the patient are being monitored.
According to media, the first case is a boy with onset of symptoms on 14 November [3,4], who attended school on Monday 16 November, was admitted to a hospital on 17 November and confirmed positive on two samples on the 19 November 2015. Two additional cases have been identified among family members. As of 20 November 2015, four patients (corresponding to at least three confirmed cases) and high risk contacts are hospitalised in an Ebola Treatment Unit in Monrovia. According to media, 153 contacts presenting with high, medium and low-risk exposure are followed-up [5]. Further response activities and contact tracing are on-going.
Assessment
Liberia was declared free of Ebola virus transmission in the human population on 3 September 2015. Following which, Liberia entered a 90-day period of EVD heightened surveillance [6]. The confirmation of new EVD cases during heightened surveillance periods after the tail end of outbreaks is not unexpected as stated in the most recent ECDC risk assessments [7,8].
The identification of new cases in Liberia highlights the importance of maintaining enhanced surveillance and immediate response capacity for control in the aftermath of the Ebola epidemic in the affected countries.
