Liberia

The home of 17-year-old Abraham Memaigar, one of two persons confirmed to be infected with the Ebola virus, is seen in Nedowein, Liberia, July 1, 2015.  Reuters/James Giahyue

Initial Ebola test on Liberia dog carcass negative - sources

reuters.com - by Emma Farge - July 7, 2015

. . . The deputy head of Liberia's Ebola response team, Francis Ketteh, could not immediately confirm the findings.

"Even if that dog had anything, finding it now will be difficult because of the time lapse. We are trying to do everything to find the source," he said.

Ketteh added that two new Ebola cases had been confirmed in addition to three previously recorded cases. A second member of the country's response team also stated that a total of five cases had been confirmed in the new outbreak.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

nytimes.com - by SOMINI SENGUPTA - July 7, 2015

UNITED NATIONS — More than a year after the Ebola epidemic began tearing through three of the world’s most fragile countries, the World Health Organization remains unfit to handle a public health emergency, an independent panel concluded in a blistering report issued Tuesday.

“W.H.O. does not currently possess the capacity or organizational culture to deliver a full emergency public health response,” the panel said in its report.

While the agency itself has acknowledged the need for change, the panel added, “it will need to be held accountable to ensure that this transformation is achieved.”

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

CLICK HERE - WHO - Report of the Ebola Interim Assessment Panel

Despite a ban on bush meat, due to the threat of Ebola, Liberians are once again selling it in markets and along the sides of roads.  Photo: Issa Davies/IRIN

irinnews.org - by Prince Collins - June 24, 2015

. . . the trade in bush meat, a known source of the Ebola virus, has picked up once again. . . .

. . . Monkeys, antelope, raccoons, rodents, bats, and a variety of other animals native to the forests of Liberia, are once again filling market stalls around the country. . . . 

. . . As the official US government advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says, “human infections have been associated with hunting, butchering and processing of meat of infected animals.”

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

reuters.com - By Alphonso Toweh and James Harding Giahyue - July 2, 2015

Liberia confirmed a third Ebola case on Thursday, nearly two months after it was declared Ebola free, and officials said they were investigating whether the disease had managed to lurk in animals before resurfacing.

Dr Moses Massaquoi, case management team leader for Liberia's Ebola task force, said the three villagers who had tested positive for the disease had shared a meal of dog meat, which is commonly eaten in Liberia.

"They come from the same time and have a history of having had dog meat together," he said.

The response team was investigating whether domestic animals might be carrying the virus, he said, referring also to mysterious deaths of hundreds of cattle in remote Lofa county.

(READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

(ALSO SEE RELATED INFORMATION HERE)

AFP - YouTube video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lKkuOZCN3Iw