President Barack Obama said the world has made “extraordinary strides in driving back Ebola,” but the fight against the deadly disease is not over.

Speaking ahead of a meeting with Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf at the White House on Friday, Obama said the outbreak could have been “an even more devastating crisis” but is instead now under control.

He said new Ebola cases in Liberia are down 95 percent from their peak, with only a handful of new cases being reported each week.

Obama said in his meeting with Sirleaf that the two leaders would talk about how to avoid complacency, as the outbreak winds down, and also how to help the Liberian economy grow and rebuild its infrastructure.

Sirleaf said the United States has made a “very permanent contribution” in Liberia by helping the country fight the outbreak.

She also praised the Liberian people for working to eradicate the disease. But she noted that Liberia is still at risk as long as there are other affected countries in the region, and said Liberians remain under threat until all its neighbors are disease-free.

The World Health Organization said on Friday that Ebola has affected nearly 24,000 people in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and killed more than 9,600.

The U.S. State Department said Friday it is prioritizing investment in Liberia to restore and expand health services to address declines in the health rates of mothers and children, declines in immunization rates, and an increase in malaria cases.

In addition, it said Peace Corps volunteers will soon return to Liberia, after being evacuated last year.

 
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