Dec 29, (RHC), -- Liberia has reported 49 new Ebola cases between December 1 and 25 in the western county of Grand Cape Mount near Sierra Leone’s border.

“In a very small population, an increase in the number of (Ebola) cases raises high level of concerns that we need to take very seriously as people of Liberia and people of Grand Cape Mount in particular,” said Liberia’s Assistant Health Minister Tolbert Nyenswah on Monday.

He added that the recent flare-up is largely due to entrenched traditional beliefs which make it difficult for people not to touch or bathe their dead relatives.

“We even noticed secret burials are still ongoing in Grand Cape Mount County,” Nyenswah stated.

The Ebola epidemic has so far claimed the lives of over 7,500 people all around the world, with nearly 3,400 of the fatalities in the West African country of Liberia.

The virus has been also devastating in Sierra Leone and Guinea.

Ebola is a form of hemorrhagic fever whose symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting and bleeding. The virus spreads through direct contact with infected blood, feces or sweat. It can also spread through sexual contact or the unprotected handling of contaminated corpses. There is currently no known cure for Ebola.