Three new cases of Ebola were discovered on Friday, November 20, 2015.

Liberia, one of the three West African countries that was worse hit by the Ebola epidemic was declared free of the disease on September 3, 2015. All the jubilation emanating from the declaration was dashed on Friday, November 20, 2015 when three people reportedly tested Ebola positive.

Liberia’s Health Minister, Bernice Dahn disclosed that the first of the new patients was a 10-year-old boy who lived with his parents and three siblings in Paynesville, a suburb east of the capital Monrovia. Two direct family members have also since tested positive, the Minister said and specified that all six family members, as well as other high risk contacts, are in care at an Ebola Treatment Unit in Paynesville.

"It all started on Thursday, November 19, 2015 when we received a report from one of our reference laboratories that a blood sample from a live patient tested positive with Ebola. The sample was taken from the patient who presented signs including fever, weakness and bleeding at a local hospital,” Voice of America quoted Bernice Dahn as having said. "The hospital is currently decontaminating the unit. All of the healthcare workers who came into contact with the patient have been notified. We know how Ebola spreads and we know how to stop Ebola but we must remain vigilant and work together," the Health Minister reportedly told a news conference.

Bruce Aylward, who leads the Ebola response for the U.N. World Health Organisation (WHO), media reports indicated, said the patient had no history of contact with an Ebola survivor or victim. "The family obviously is at particular risk and is being investigated right now," he told a news conference in Geneva.