MONROVIA: Liberia said on Wednesday a second patient had died in a resurgence of the Ebola virus and the outbreak had spread to its capital city.

The sixth confirmed case since the virus re-emerged at the end of June was a healthcare worker in Monrovia, chief medical officer Francis Karteh said on state radio.

“Now we have four cases in (treatment). We have six confirmed cases in Liberia, two are already dead,” he said.

The latest cluster of infections emerged in a village near the international airport in the coastal county of Margibi, when a 17-year-old boy tested positive for Ebola after his death.

“Ebola is no longer confined to Margibi County. A case has been reported in Monrovia, but has been reported expired,” Karteh said.

“The case was carried in a critical condition to the (Ebola treatment unit) and later died.”

The man was being monitored as a known contact of one of the previous cases, but hid his illness from the authorities by taking medication to bring down his temperature, Karteh said.

He warned that efforts to contain the outbreak were being hampered by people not admitting they’d had contact with Ebola patients.