Ebola: Liberia Ends State of Emergency but 'Fight is Not Over'

Liberia has officially ended the state of emergency issued in August due to the Ebola outbreak.

The announcement was made as news came that the deadly virus has killed at least 5,000 people in West Africa, of whom more than 2,800 in Liberia.

"I have informed the leadership of the national legislature that I will not seek an extension of the state of emergency," news agency AFP quoted President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as saying during an interview with state-owned ELBC radio network.

Sirleaf clarified that the relaxation was "not because the fight against Ebola is over" but because recent successes in battling the epidemic had combined "to reposition our efforts to sustain our fight against the virus".

"As the virus progressed, posing a clear danger to the state, our neighbours and the rest of the world, we were compelled to declare a state of emergency," she continued.

"We took on a fight, we appealed to the world, we appealed to our citizens, our citizens listened, and the world responded. Today we can all be proud of the progress."

Ebola is contracted by contact with infected bodily fluids and its symptoms include fever, vomiting, and diarrhoea.

The current virus outbreak is the worst in history, and has killed thousands in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Mali also reported some cases in November.