WHO declares Liberia Ebola-free

Liberia is Ebola-free, according to a statement from the World Health Organization on Saturday, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The West African country has not discovered a new case of the disease in 42 days, twice the maximum incubation period of Ebola. Along with Guinea and Sierra Leone, Liberia saw thousands die from Ebola in an epidemic WHO called "the largest, longest, and most complex outbreak since Ebola first emerged in 1976."

Neither of the two other hardest-hit countries have managed to eradicate the disease yet, prompting WHO officials to warn Liberia about border security, lest an infected individual cross into the country.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Liberia is not rid of all of its health issues, either. NPR reports that a measles outbreak affecting hundreds is a "direct result of the Ebola outbreak," because the epidemic effectively overwhelmed the country's healthcare facilities and workers, leaving many susceptible to other diseases.