Liberia has upper hand over Ebola but support must continue: president

Reuters
Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf speaks during an interview with Reuters in Brussels November 25, 2013. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir

DAKAR (Reuters) - Liberia's President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf said on Wednesday that her government has the upper hand in the fight against Ebola, but warned international partners against complacency or any reduction in their support. Liberia's death toll from the worst Ebola outbreak on record is higher than any other country at over 2,800. But the World Health Organization said last week that the number of new cases there is beginning to slow, and Liberia is not extending its state of emergency imposed to fight the disease. "The sustaining of anti-Ebola measures over the last two months has meant that in Liberia we now have the upper hand," Sirleaf said in a statement sent to Reuters. "But our government remains concerned that progress in this battle will lead to complacency on the part of the international community," she added. "We must not interpret gains as an outright victory - nothing could be more dangerous." (Reporting by Emma Farge; Editing by David Lewis and John Stonestreet)