WHO Ebola outbreak in Liberia officially over

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared the Ebola epidemic in Liberia over. Forty-two days ago, the last laboratory-confirmed Ebola death occurred in Liberia, and since March 22, no new infections have been reported to the WHO. Thus, the Ebola outbreak in Liberia in the assessment of the WHO is over. The aid organization Doctors Without Borders, however, continues to call for vigilance.

Liberia was the country most affected by the Ebola epidemic in terms of death tolls. "At the peak of the transmission in August and September 2014, 300 to 400 new cases were reported each week," according to the WHO communication. At that time, conditions in the capital city of Monrovia were so dramatic that the plague no longer seemed controllable. The treatment centers were overcrowded and had to be closed, and patients died in the clinic grounds and outside the facilities, where they sometimes stayed for days, reports the World Health Organization. The interruption of the transmission is therefore a "monumental achievement."

Nearly 200 health workers lost their lives
In total, around 10,600 people in Liberia have been infected with Ebola in the Ebola epidemic, and more than 4,700 people have died as a result of the infectious disease. Special thanks were given to the doctors and medical assistants who continued to treat patients, even though the provision of personal protective equipment was inadequate and the conditions in the treatment centers were associated with a high risk of infection. "A total of 375 health workers were infected and 189 lost their lives," said the WHO.

Ebola outbreak not yet over
While WHO is confident that Ebola has been defeated in Liberia, the outbreaks remain in neighboring Guinea and Sierra Leone. This results in the risk of reintroducing the virus across the borders. However, in Guinea and Sierra Leone, the infection numbers have declined sharply in recent weeks. In the last reporting week, the WHO registered nine more infections in Guinea and nine in Sierra Leone. The numbers also hope for an end to the epidemic here. In the opinion of the international aid organization Doctors Without Borders, vigilance is still required despite the official end of the Ebola epidemic in Liberia. "In order to prevent new Ebola cases in Liberia, the cross-border observation must be improved," said the relief organization. The Ebola outbreak in West Africa is "over only when all three countries remain 42 days without new infections."

Expansion of the health system required
Although "42 days without a single new Ebola case is a real milestone" for Liberia, "we can not take our foot off the accelerator until all three countries have 42 days without new cases," warns Mariateresa Cacciapuoti, country coordinator for doctors without borders in Liberia. The epidemic has almost destroyed the already fragile health care system in the affected countries. Nearly 200 Liberian health workers have died trying to stem Ebola, and now it's time for health concerns to be given priority. "The international community must help Liberia - as well as Guinea and Sierra Leone - to build a strong and affordable national health system, with adequate human and material resources," said the relief agency's country coordinator.

International help came too late
In the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, according to MSF, international aid was clearly too late, "to respond right at the beginning of the outbreak." The price was thousands of lives. Such a scenario should not be repeated in the future. In total, nearly 27,000 people have been infected in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia as part of the Ebola epidemic and more than 11,000 have died as a result of the infection. Sporadic infections were also reported in Nigeria and other countries, most of which were traced back to one of the infected countries. (Fp)