The Liberian authorities have ruled out Ebola as the cause of the deaths of nine people from a mystery illness in the south-east of the country.

Liberia’s chief medical officer Dr Francis Kateh told the BBC’s Focus on Africa programme that the tests on blood samples from the bodies of the deceased showed that the authorities are not dealing with Ebola.

The nine deaths happened in a short space of time in Sinoe county.

The question of course remains about what was the cause of death.

Dr Kateh said further investigations are being carried out and, he told the BBC, “we are worried… we are all having sleepless nights to make sure we find what is causing the deaths”.

The Ebola outbreak in Liberia in 2015 killed more than 5,000 people.