04 April 2016•Update: 21 April 2016
By Evelyn Kpadeh Seagbeh
MONROVIA, Liberia
Liberia’s health ministry has announced a second confirmed case of Ebola.
The index case was a 30-year-old woman; her five-year-old son has also contracted the disease and is being treated at the Ebola Treatment Union (ETU) in the capital, Monrovia.
The family’s remaining siblings are being monitored closely at the ETU.
According to Liberia’s Ebola Incident Manager Minister Tolbert Nyensuah, an investigation has found that the family’s mother had traveled from neighboring Guinea to Liberia on March 21 with three children.
About 85 people are being placed on careful contact tracing, but the ministry says no one else has shown signs of Ebola.
“We are used to the Ebola virus, so there is no need to panic. We have control over the virus, but everyone should observe preventive measures,” Nyensuah said.
Guinea is currently dealing with at least six cases of the Ebola virus. Liberia was recently forced to close its frontiers but later allowed cross-border traffic with intensified screening of people entering from Guinea.
However, Liberians residing in counties bordering Guinea have complained of illegal entrances into Liberia.
The U.S.’ Centers for Disease Control in Monrovia says it is monitoring the situation.
