By Evelyn T. Kpadeh
MONROVIA, Liberia
Liberian health authorities on Monday announced new measures to ensure the elimination of the Ebola virus, asking survivors to always use condoms during sex.
"It is like we are talking about HIV and AIDS – the same applies to diseases like Ebola," Tolbert Nyenswah, head of Liberia's Ebola Incident Management System, said in a statement.
He said that at no time should Ebola survivors engage in sex without condoms.
"Ebola survivors must use condoms for all sexual acts, whether anal, vaginal or oral," added the official.
"It is important for the Liberian people to know about sex and our Ebola survivors," he said.
"This is not a secret – from the beginning of the outbreak, we were very clear that we have doctors and they had indicated that the sexual transmission of Ebola is possible," he added.
The statement came only a few days after the death from Ebola of a 44-year-old woman.
There has been speculation as to how the woman contracted the virus.
But the Incident Management System has not said explicitly that she contracted the virus from an Ebola survivor.
It said investigations were still ongoing to establish the source of the infection.
"New information in the latest outbreak indicates that sexual transmission may have occurred, but this remains unconfirmed," said Nyenswah.
The country's first Ebola case was reported on March 24 of last year in Lofa County.
Since then, Ebola – a contagious disease for which there is no known treatment or cure – has killed nearly 10,326 people, mostly in West Africa, according to a March 25 status report issued by the World Health Organization.
In Liberia alone, the virus has claimed at least 4,301 lives.
Liberia discharged its last known Ebola survivor, Beatrice Yardolo, on March 5.
The country had had another 13 days to achieve Ebola-free status before the latest infections were reported, deflating hopes that the crisis was over.
