New case of Ebola confirmed in Liberia

By Kelly Cohen, Kelly Cohen

Published May 02, 2016

The World Health Organization said Friday that a new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Liberia — roughly three months after the country was declared free of the virus.

On Tuesday, WHO said the outbreak in west Africa no longer qualified as an international health emergency. Liberia was declared Ebola free in January.

Investigations are underway, WHO said in a series of tweets Friday. It reiterated that the virus is no longer an emergency, but that additional small flareups are expected.

"#Ebola is no longer a public health emergency of Intl Concern; but flare-ups, at decreasing frequency, are expected," WHO tweeted, adding, "WHO has continuously stressed that flare-ups should be anticipated, largely due to #Ebola virus persistence in some survivors #EbolaResponse."

Since the outbreak in December 2013, more than 11,000 people have died of Ebola, mostly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Health authorities are also monitoring nearly 1,000 contacts of the infected.