MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) — Liberian authorities have quarantined the Nedowein area where the corpse of a 17-year-old boy tested positive for Ebola, sparking fears the country could face another outbreak of the disease nearly two months after being declared Ebola-free.
Deputy health minister and head of Liberia’s Ebola response team, Tolbert Nyenswah, told The Associated Press Tuesday that the boy died at his home and was buried safely to avoid spread. He said teams are investigating how the boy became infected. The area is not near the borders with Sierra Leone and Guinea, which still have Ebola cases.
Nyenswah said “Liberia has got a re-infection of Ebola.” The World Health Organization declared Liberia Ebola-free on May 9, after going 42 days without a new case. More than 4,800 people died in Liberia from Ebola.