According to a World Health Organization (WHO) update, as of 29 March, seven clinical samples from adult patients in Liberia have been tested by PCR using Ebola Zaire virus primers by the mobile laboratory of the Institut Pasteur (IP) Dakar in Conakry. Two of those samples have tested positive for the Ebola virus.
There have been 2 deaths among the suspected cases; a 35 year-old woman who died on 21 March tested positive for Ebola virus while a male patient who died on 27 March tested negative. As of 26 March, Liberia had 27 contacts under medical follow-up.
Liberia has established a high level National Task Force to lead the response in partnership with the WHO, International Red Cross (IRC), Samaritan’s Purse (SP) Liberia, Pentecostal Mission Unlimited (PMU)-Liberia, CHF-WASH Liberia, PLAN-Liberia, UNFPA and UNICEF.
To date the only district in Liberia that has confirmed cases of Ebola hemorrhagic fever is Foya, in Lofa County.
The hospital in Foya has increased infection control measures and the Task Force is conducting training for health care professionals in the region. Additional personal preventive equipment (PPE) and medical supplies have also been sent to Bong and Nimba Counties which border Guinea. Social awareness campaigns have also been increased to promote risk reduction measures in the community.
