Liberia's 1st Ebola patient in weeks dies

State radio LBS Saturday reported that the recently confirmed Ebola positive patient in Liberia has died.

The 44-year old Ruth Tugbeh was confirmed positive of the Ebola virus on March 20, the first Ebola case after weeks no new cases reported in the country, disrupting Liberia's efforts to be announced Ebola-free.

According to LBS, Tugbeh died at about 9:00 a.m. on Friday.

The patient was undergoing treatment at the Monrovia Medical Unit (MMU) that is managed by the United States public health service after she was transferred there from the Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) run ELWA-3 Ebola Treatment Unit (ETU) near Monrovia few days ago.

After she was diagnosed of Ebola, Francis Nah Kateh, Deputy Head of Ebola Incident Management System told journalists at the Ministry of Information Ebola update briefing that the patient was in stable condition.

"Her condition is stable, she is receiving the best care, we are making sure that she survives to tell her story," Kateh said.

The patient allegedly contracted the virus through sexual intercourse with a male Ebola survivor but health officials have said the man has gone more than 100 days since surviving from the virus.

Kateh also disclosed on Thursday during another Ebola update that another person was showing signs and symptoms of the virus and has been placed into isolation.

Kateh said specimen from the contact patient has been taken and that laboratory result will be made known when available.

At the same time Kateh told reporters that another suspected Ebola patient was extracted from the Clara Town community on March 23 and taken to an ETU for examination. Endi