Liberia Reports 49 New Ebola Cases in December 2014 - News Updates

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The Ebola epidemic is far from over as more and more new cases are being reported particularly in the three West African countries hard-hit by the disease. In Liberia, dozens of Ebola cases are being confirmed, putting another a toil in the battle against the disease that has killed some 7,000 people from the West African trio of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. These deaths are a combination of confirmed and suspected Ebola cause of death. According to the World Health Organization, around 19,000 cases have benn recorded in the said countries.

And now, in Liberia alone, the numbers have increased particularly those in the Liberian and Sierra Leone border, according to health officials from Liberia.

Liberia's Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said that 49 new cases were reported in western Grand Cape Mount County between December 1 and 25. Nyenswah said that the further outbreak was due to human movement to and from Liberia, and some traditional practices such as washing of bodies.

"In a very small population, an increase in the number of (Ebola) cases raises high level of concerns that we need to take very seriously as people of Liberia and people of Grand Cape Mount in particular," Nyenswah said.

In Liberia alone, around 3,400 people have already died from Ebola over the past year. The country has a total number of Ebola cases that have reached 8,000. Sierra Leone still has more Ebola cases -- 9,000--  according to the World Health Organization.

Health officials said though that the situation has improved, especially in the capital, Monrovia.