Ebola Outbreak: Medecins Sans Frontieres Confirm Decline of New Cases in Liberia

Liberia has witnessed a large drop in the number of new cases of the deadly Ebola virus, Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) has confirmed.

MSF employs thousands of staff in West Africa and is leading the fight against the tropical disease.

Chris Stokes, head of MSF's Ebola response, told the BBC in an interview that, despite the decrease, the virus could "flare up" in the country at any moment in similar fashion to Guinea, where two periods of calm have been followed by an increase in cases.

Liberia's health ministry has confirmed that two-thirds of the 696 beds in the country's treatment centres were currently empty.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) also revealed that the number of Ebola cases in some districts of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone were declining despite increases in others.

"Case incidence is declining in some districts in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, while steep rises persist in other districts," it said in a statement.

The virus has claimed over 4,900 lives since December 2013, with most of the deaths occurring in the West African countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. Approximately 14,000 cases have been diagnosed since the outbreak began.

Many countries are banning flights from Ebola-hit nations as a result of growing concern that the disease could be spread to other countries if people from affected areas are allowed to travel.

Fears of contagion are also leading to a surge in racist and discriminatory attacks worldwide.