Ebola: Good news in Liberia – but no cause for complacency | WPN World People News

After 42 days without new cases, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in Liberia on May 9. On this occasion, the EU Ebola Coordinator and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides made the following statement:

"This is great news – for Liberia and for the world. It is a tribute to the bravery and resilience of the people of Liberia, and of the many African and other international health workers who have worked hard for months to bring Ebola down to zero in Liberia. It shows that the fight against Ebola can be won. But it is an incredibly tough fight.

We must not be complacent: our collective effort must be sustained until the outbreak is over in Sierra Leone and in Guinea. Both countries have made great strides in recent months to bring infection rates down. We must stand by their side as they work to bring cases down to zero. Now is not the time to let up and pull out resources.

Beyond that, we have to help all three countries recover from the devastating impact of Ebola on their economies. We need to help them rebuild and strengthen their health systems. And we need to make sure they, and countries all around the world, are better prepared the next time an epidemic like Ebola strikes."

More than a year after the start of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, the efforts made by the local authorities and population, along with the unprecedented international response, has started to bear fruit. Together with its Member States, the EU has mobilised close to €1.4 billion of support to the response and has deployed experts, laboratories, vital equipment, research capacities, and a medical evacuation system at the service of all international health workers in the affected countries.

source: European Commission