Persons who died of Ebola virus disease at home in rural communities in Liberia and Guinea resulted in more secondary infections than persons admitted to Ebola treatment units. Intensified monitoring of contacts of persons who died of this disease in the community is an evidence-based approach to reduce virus transmission in rural communities.

Two new butterfly species belonging to the genus Aphnaeus (Lycaenidae: Theclinae), A. mirabilis sp. n., A. nimbaensis sp. n. were found in the Nimba Mountains, Western Range, Liberia in February 2012. Both are illustrated and described in comparison with closely related species: A. flavescens Stempffer, 1954 and A. liberti Bouyer, 1996, respectively. Genitalia of the male holotype of A. nimbaen...

BACKGROUND A better characterization of the early growth dynamics of an epidemic is needed to dissect the important drivers of disease transmission, refine existing transmission models, and improve disease forecasts. MATERIALS AND METHODS We introduce a 2-parameter generalized-growth model to characterize the ascending phase of an outbreak and capture epidemic profiles ranging from sub-expone...

BACKGROUND An EVD outbreak may reduce life expectancy directly (due to high mortality among EVD cases) and indirectly (e.g., due to lower utilization of healthcare and subsequent increases in non-EVD mortality). In this paper, we investigated the direct effects of EVD on life expectancy in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea (LSLG thereafter). METHODS We used data on EVD cases and deaths publish...

BACKGROUND From 1980 to 2003 Liberia entered into a period of conflict and civil wars. During this time Liberia's health and educational services were severely disrupted. Equipment and supplies were stolen from the Medical School and the buildings damaged severely. A majority of health care workers, university faculty, and hospital and medical school administrators fled the country. OBJECTIVE...