Liberia reports dozens of new Ebola cases on border

Monrovia - Dozens of new Ebola cases have
erupted in Liberia, near the border with Sierra
Leone, Liberian health officials warned Monday,
marking a setback amid recent improvements.
The flare-up is due to a number of factors
including people going in and out of Liberia and
traditional practices such as the washing of bodies,
said Liberia's Assistant Health Minister Tolbert
Nyenswah.
Forty-nine cases were reported in in western
Grand Cape Mount County between December 1
and 25, Nyenswah told state radio.
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"In a very small population, an increase in the
number of (Ebola) cases raises high level of
concerns that we need to take very seriously as
people of Liberia and people of Grand Cape Mount
in particular," he said.
Nearly 3,400 people have died from Ebola in
Liberia over the past year with nearly 8,000 cases
total, though health officials say the situation has
improved, especially in the capital, Monrovia.
Sierra Leone, in comparison, has now eclipsed
Liberia with more than 9,000 Ebola cases,
according to the World Health Organization.