Health authorities in Liberia believe a woman who last week tested positive for Ebola in the first new case for weeks may have been infected through sexual intercourse with an Ebola survivor, dashing the government's hopes of declaring the country Ebola-free.
A 44-year-old Liberian woman tested positive for Ebola on March 20 in the first new case in the country for several weeks.
Infection through sexual intercourse is possible because the virus can remain in semen for up to three months after a patient recovers.
The main source of infection for Ebola comes through contact with infected blood, vomit and feces.
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has caused more than 10,000 deaths since last year, approximately 4,300 of them in Liberia. Before the discovery of the latest patient, Liberia was counting down 42 days to declare the country Ebola-free.
