Ebola Outbreak Update: 2 New Cases In Liberia, Where Virus Was Originally Thought To Be Eradicated

Two new Ebola cases were confirmed in Liberia on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections in the country since it was declared to be Ebola-free up to five, according to the Associated Press. The virus has remained in neighboring Sierra Leone and Guinea, where health officials say it will need to be completely eradicated before the risk of outbreaks in other countries is zero.

The new cases are from the same town that a 17-year-old who was killed by the virus came from. The teenager died on June 28, after going to a hospital where he was treated for malaria and released. The last recorded Ebola case in the country before these five individuals contracted the virus was on March 20.

The four remaining patients are all receiving treatment at the same treatment center. There are a further 120 individuals who have been quarantined since the new Ebola outbreak began, and 14 “high risk” individuals are being monitored for signs and symptoms of the disease.

In Sierra Leone, curfews on communities with the highest amounts of Ebola were extended indefinitely, and new cases were found in the capital city where it had been assumed the virus had been pushed out. The curfew was originally in place for just 21 days. The head of the government’s Ebola response said the curfew was being extended in light of what was seen as success in bringing down the infection rate.

The Ebola epidemic began just over one year ago in Spring of 2014. The outbreak resulted in widespread coverage of the deaths and measures taken to address the contagion. More than 10,000 people have died from the epidemic in Africa.