2 Years After WHO Declares Ebola International Emergency, Liberia ‘Stronger And More Unified’

TIME: Ellen Johnson Sirleaf: 2 Years After Ebola, Liberia Is a Changed Nation
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of the Republic of Liberia

“…Liberia has not yet quite risen from the ashes [of the Ebola epidemic], but as our nation continues to rebuild, we have grown stronger in many ways. … We still need support, but with the [Ebola] emergency over, Liberia’s fate is no longer determined by a merciless virus. Our people are now better informed about the nature of infectious disease. We have made huge progress in regaining the trust of the people, perhaps more so than Liberia has seen for decades. … So, despite the incalculable suffering and horror we have endured, my belief is that we have ultimately emerged from this ordeal stronger and more unified. Today, as our nation grieves on this solemn anniversary [of WHO declaring Ebola an international emergency], we know that we have to take primary responsibility to heal ourselves [and] no one can help us to heal. But on the long road to recovery we will need continued partnership for rebuilding” (8/8).

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