test conducted by laboratory technicians on the body of a 17-year-old boy proved that the deceased died from the virus.

The deceased died on 28 June in Lower Margibi County and   was safely buried by a team from the ministry of health in accordance with Ebola protocols, the minister said.  However, she said the source of the latest case of the virus is still unknown, but said health authorities are carrying out investigation into the  situation.

She said the Incident Management Team of the Ministry of Health is working with partners to coordinate with the Margibi County Health Team to establish contact tracing, and provide psychosocial support to the family of the deceased. Minister Dahn said the ministry is providing the family of the dead boy with basic food ration and other needed services.

She added that the ministry is also vigorously engaging the community in which the new case was confirmed as part of efforts to stop the virus from spreading to other parts of the area. 

The re-emergence of the disease comes exactly 21 days since the country was declared free of the   deadly virus by the World Health Organization. Liberia recorded more 8,000 deaths in 2014 when the virus first broke out, according to official sources.

 Minister Dahn called on the public to be alert and follow all necessary preventive measures, but not to panic because of the new confirmed case of Ebola.

 She said unlike in the past, Liberia now has adequate internal capacity to deal swiftly with the re-emergence of the disease. She added that as part of measures to control the  re-emergence of the disease, Ebola Treatment Units particularly in  the region have been reactivated, and similar measures were ongoing in other parts of the country.

“Although this was not the situation we were hoping for, this incident demonstrates[s] that our alert systems are working. The structures we have in place to strengthen our surveillance systems in Liberia allowed us to respond quickly.  It is critical that the Liberian people remain vigilant and continue all prevention measures to stop the spread of Ebola,” she said in a statement.

She asked the public to continue to practice such measures as regular hand washing, avoid touching and washing of dead bodies, as well as not to hide sick people in their homes or communities.

“The Ebola fight is not over, but we must not lose hope and continue practicing appropriate behaviors to control Ebola. We cannot do this without the participation of the communities,” Minister Dahn said in a press statement released in Monrovia today. Writes Peter A. Fahn