Officials in Liberia say they’ve confirmed a new Ebola case, marking its first brush with the deadly virus since the outbreak was declared over in the West African nation more than a month ago.
The nation’s health ministry said a 17-year-old who died in a town near the main airport outside of Monrovia died of the disease, according to lab tests. Now, investigators are tracking how the boy contracted the virus.
Liberia was declared Ebola-free on May 9, after 42 days — or two incubation periods — had lapsed without any new cases.
That status is now technically over, health minister Tolbert Nyenswah said at a news conference Tuesday, The New York Times reported. The boy was safely buried, and his family is being monitored.
The Ebola outbreak that began in December 2013 has killed more than 5,000 in Liberia and 6,400 more in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea.
Starting June 17, visitors to the U.S. from Liberia were encouraged to monitor their health for 21 days, although the Centers for Disease Control no longer recommended active monitoring, in which public health officials would check in once a day.
However, visitors will still be screened upon exiting Liberia and arriving at one of five airports in the U.S.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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