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Liberia’s Ebola epidemic is over, says the World Health Organization (WHO), effectively putting an end to the world’s worst outbreak of the disease.
The “end of active transmission” was declared, after 42 days without a new case in Liberia.
It joins Guinea and Sierra Leone, which earned the status last year.
However, the WHO warned that West Africa may see flare-ups of the virus. It has killed more than 11,000 people since December 2013.
WHO said it anticipated “more flare-ups”, and Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea “remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks” of Ebola.
“Evidence shows that the virus disappears relatively quickly from survivors, but can remain in the semen of a small number of male survivors for as long as one year, and in rare instances, be transmitted to intimate partners,” it added.
Dr Chan described the next three months as “the most critical” for the three West African nations, which accounted for almost all of the deaths from the outbreak.
“By the end of this year, we expect that all survivors will have cleared the virus from their bodies,” she was quoted as saying by the AFP news agency.
Ebola deaths
Figures up to 6 January 2016
11,315
Deaths – probable, confirmed and suspected
(Includes one in the US and six in Mali)
- 4,809 Liberia
- 3,955 Sierra Leone
- 2,536 Guinea
- 8 Nigeria