The authors predict that Ebola could be contained in Liberia between March and June of this year with a rapid decline in new cases following June 2015.
The paper does caution that “continuing on the path to elimination will require sustained watchfulness and individual willingness to be treated,” and experts were careful to point out that this hopeful news is only possible if the current rate of hospitalization continues and the same careful protocols are followed both in the hospitals and out in the community.
Liberia — along with Guinea and Sierra Leone — is one of the three countries hit hardest by this epidemic. It was serious enough to be labeled a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” by the World Health Organization.
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Sierra Leone is still trying to scale-up their response to Ebola according to Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control. He also said that as the infection rate slowed down briefly, health care workers were “relaxing their grip” by not wearing protective clothing and not taking enough precautions.
Speaking to reporters after his recent visit to Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone, Frieden said he saw “real momentum and real progress” in combating the virus, but he added “It’s going to be a long hard fight.”
“The challenge,” he said. “Is not to let up, not to be complacent and to really double down.”
