Ebola Virus Disease in Liberia (Update)
30 Jun 2015
On the 29 June 2015 the deputy health minister of the Liberian Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) confirmed that the body of a dead Liberian man has tested positive for Ebola virus disease (EVD). This is the first new case of EVD since the outbreak in Liberia was declared over on 9 May 2015.
MOHSW officials are currently investigating how this latest case, a 17-year-old man from a town near Liberia’s main airport, contracted EVD.
Advice for Travellers
The risk of travellers becoming infected or developing Ebola haemorrhagic fever is extremely low, unless there has been direct contact with blood or bodily fluids of dead or living infected persons or animals. Healthcare workers are at particular risk, although practising appropriate infection control should effectively prevent transmission of disease in this setting.
Travellers returning from tropical countries should always seek rapid medical attention if they develop flu-like symptoms (such as fever, headache, diarrhoea or general malaise) within three weeks after return, and be reminded to mention to their health care provider that they have recently travelled.