By Evelyn T. Kpadeh

MONROVIA

Liberia is about to become Ebola-free, the head of the UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response said Thursday.

"Liberia is very close to getting to zero [Ebola cases]," Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed told a press conference in Liberian capital Monrovia.

He paid tribute to the Liberian government's efforts to combat the virus, which has killed nearly 9,000 people, mostly in West Africa.

Within the last three weeks, he noted, Liberia had seen only three to five Ebola cases nationwide.

The declining number of cases, Ahmed said, "is a testament to the president, the government and the community leadership, and the commitment of the Liberian people."

He went on, however, to urge Liberia's government and citizenry to remain vigilant, as the virus has yet to be completely eradicated.

The UN coordinator did not state when Liberia would be officially declared Ebola-free by the World Health Organization (WHO).

"When do we expect Liberia to be declared Ebola free? Nobody would like to go forecasting on this point; there are [still] many reasons to worry," he said.

"Even if we have one case, there's a need to worry," Ahmed asserted. "This virus surprised us in the past… this outbreak came from a single case in Liberia."