Three new cases of Ebola were confirmed in Liberia, about two months after it was declared virus-free, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The first Ebola victim was a 10-year-old boy from the capital Monrovia, who fell sick last week and three days later was admitted to the hospital. His father and brother also tested positive for the disease.
The patients and three other suspected cases were admitted to an Ebola treatment center outside the city, according to media reports.
It is not yet understood how the patients contracted Ebola. The child has no prior history of attending a funeral of an Ebola patient or being in touch with a survivor. However, a UN official Bruce Aylward told AFP that there could be a possible link between the boy and another virus-carrier.
"I'm sure as we start to move forward, we will see more clarity," he said.
People who were showing symptoms were all isolated in the treatment ward.
"The hospital is currently decontaminating the unit. All of the healthcare workers who came in contact with the patient have been notified," Margaret Harris, WHO spokeswoman, told the BBC.
Liberia was declared free of the deadly virus on May 9 after battling with the disease for more than one year, but new cases were reported in June causing two deaths. The country was again declared Ebola-free on September 3.
If no new cases emerge for 42 days, the region is declared virus-free.
The new cases in Liberia came after just a few days after Guinea was reported free of the virus, where a three-week-old girl was deemed cured on November 16. Sierra Leone became free of virus only on November 7.
Over 11,000 patients, out of about 29,000 registered cases, died of Ebola since December 2013 in Africa. Most of the cases originated from Liberia, Guiea, and Sierra Leone. Liberia recorded more than 10,000 cases and 4,808 deaths, the WHO said.
Liberian Health Ministry spokesman Sorbor George urged people to remain calm as the country had facilities to treat the disease.
"We are calling on the population not to panic because we have people capable of putting the situation under control. Let everyone take the necessary measures to prevent the virus from spreading."
