Second UN worker gets Ebola in Liberia

The United Nations mission in Liberia announced on Wednesday a second infection among its employees of the deadly Ebola epidemic ravaging the impoverished west African nation.

Karin Landgren, head of UNMIL, said in a statement an "international staff member" working in its medical department has tested positive after complaining of symptoms consistent with Ebola virus disease on Sunday.

The announcement comes a week after Landgren said a Liberian employee had died of probable Ebola.

The latest statement didn't reveal the condition or nationality of the worker, but said they were undergoing treatment, adding that UNMIL had taken measures to prevent further transmission.

"All UNMIL staff considered at-risk have been isolated, and ambulances and other locations decontaminated," it said.

The mission said it would extend a review of its actions launched after the first case to investigating the circumstances of the latest infection.

"With Liberia facing its gravest threat since the civil war ended in 2003, UNMIL's commitment to the country is steadfast," it added.

"The mission will continue to do all that it can within its range of capabilities to help roll back the tragedy that is Ebola."

Liberia, the hardest-hit country in the west African Ebola outbreak, has seen more than 2,000 deaths since it announced the virus had spread from Guinea on March 31.

Landgren said last week UNMIL had taken steps since then to educate personnel and help them protect themselves against Ebola, describing staff safety as her "top priority".

She described the outbreak as "Liberia's gravest threat since the civil war", referring to the back-to-back conflicts from 1989-2003 that left at least 250,000 people dead.

© 2014 AFP