Liberia's president says the country will be Ebola-free by Christmas

Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf announced Monday that the country may be free of Ebola by Dec. 25.

"We've set a pretty tough target," Sirleaf said at a ceremony for the docking of a Dutch aid ship in Monrovia. "But when you set a target, it means that you stay focused on that target and on that goal, and then you double your efforts."

Liberia has recorded almost 3,000 deaths in the Ebola outbreak, according to figures from the World Health Organization. While some experts said the Dec. 25 goal is "highly ambitious," Liberia's number of new Ebola cases has declined, The Associated Press reports.

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In her speech, Sirleaf also thanked the European Union for providing Ebola aid to Sierra Leone and Guinea. "We are never totally free from Ebola until all of the affected countries... are also free from Ebola," Sirleaf said.