Ebola virus: New case emerges in Sierra Leone

The Makeni lab, funded by the British government, is providing Ebola testing as part of ongoing surveillance for the viral disease, which has killed more than 11,300 people in the two-year epidemic in West Africa.

Health officials told reporters that a 22-year-old woman had died in Magburaka after falling ill in Baomoi Luma, near the border with Guinea. Goals are to assess how the Sierra Leone woman contracted her infection and to trace her contacts.

In May, two new Ebola cases showed up in neighbouring country Libera after it was declared free of the virus.

“Our level of preparedness and response capabilities are very high and there is no cause for concern”, Kellie said according to the Associated Press. “Through the country’s new emergency operations center, a joint team of local authorities, World Health Organization and partners are investigating the origin of the case, identifying contacts and initiating control measures to prevent further transmission”, according to a statement today from the WHO.

The WHO declared the latest Ebola outbreak over in Liberia on Thursday after no new cases had emerged there during a 42-day waiting period.

In an nearly immediate sign of the potential risks, Sierra Leone’s health ministry reported a suspected Ebola death in the Tonkolili district east of the capital Freetown.

Liberia has been declared Ebola-free twice before – most recently two months ago – only to see the virus re-emerge.

Close to 4,000 people have died of Ebola in Sierra Leone, and 11,000 people across the region, since December 2013.

Even still, survivors can carry the virus and spread it through regular modes of transport.

Organisations including the WHO, the World Bank, Médecins Sans Frontiers had warned that the risk of small flare-ups of the virus remained and called for vigilance. Sierra Leone was declared Ebola-free in November. As well as screening for persistent virus, they will need medical and psychological care, and support to help them return to normal life in their families and communities, who will also need education and help to reduce stigma and minimize risk of Ebola virus transmission.

On Nov 7 the World Health Organization had announced that Ebola transmission had stopped in Sierra Leone, which began a 90-day enhanced surveillance period.