New Ebola case confirmed in Liberia

A new case of Ebola has been confirmed in Liberia, the World Health Organization said Friday, after the country was declared free of transmission of the virus in January. 

{mosads}The announcement comes three days after the WHO declared an end to its designation of Ebola as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, saying the three most affected West African countries had completed the 90-day surveillance period since their last case. 

Still, even then WHO warned that additional small flare-ups are likely. 

“WHO has continuously stressed that flare-ups should be anticipated, largely due to #Ebola virus persistence in some survivors,” the agency tweeted Friday. 

WHO said earlier this week that the three countries, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea, had improved their response capabilities to the virus. 

Those three countries now “have the capacity to respond rapidly to new virus emergences,” the WHO said.

The White House has stressed the need to remain vigilant about Ebola as it tries to convince Congress not to try to reuse existing Ebola funds for its Zika response, and instead to approve new money.