A health official says seven people believed to have the Ebola virus have died in recent days in the Liberian capital, in the first reported deaths in capital, Monrovia.
Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah said on Tuesday that the deaths bring to 16 the number of people believed to have died from the virus in the West African country since the outbreak began.
The deaths are worrying because no new cases had been confirmed in Liberia in more than two months.
The outbreak appears to have begun in neighbouring Guinea and has also spread to Sierra Leone. In all, the World Health Organisation says nearly 250 people have died of the virus, which causes severe bleeding and high fever.
