Liberian health officials said Friday that just five Ebola cases remain in the West African country, news that could signal the end of the virus' worse epidemic that has killed thousands in the region, Reuters reported.
"We have confirmed five Ebola cases in Liberia as of today," Deputy Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah, also head of the country's Ebola task force, said according to Reuters. "It means that we are going down to zero, if everything goes well, if other people don't get sick in other places."
Nyenswah's announcement comes a week after he said the country could be Ebola-free by the end of February.
Several other announcements in the battle against Ebola were also made Friday, including news from the pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline that its long-anticipated vaccine is on the way to Liberia for a clinical trial expected to begin in a couple of weeks, according to The New York Times.
The Ebola virus has killed over 8,600 people since the start of the outbreak over a year ago. Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone were at the center of the outbreak, which cripled the the countries' already weak health systems.
With the help of international money and resources, including a response team of troops from the U.S. and efforts to stop new infections, officials say cases of the virus are dropping. The World Health Organization said Friday that infection rates in all three affected West African countries have decreased now for four consecutive weeks, The NY Times reported.
In Sierra Leone, the infection rate is the highest in West Africa, with 118 cases reported in the week that ended Jan 18. But that number is down from 248 cases reported two weeks prior.
Sierra Leone President Bai Korma said Friday that travel restrictions put in place last summer to contain the disease will be lifted, The NY Times reported.
"Victory is in sight," Korma said.
