Sierra Leone declared Ebola free

Cheers erupted in the streets Saturday as Sierra Leone marked the end of the Ebola outbreak within its borders. Neighboring Guinea still struggles to stamp out the deadly virus that has killed more than 11,000 mostly in West Africa.

Nearly 4,000 people have died in Sierra Leone of Ebola since the outbreak began in late 2013.

According to the World Health Organization, 42 days have passed since the country’s last confirmed Ebola patient was discharged on September 25 after two consecutive negative test results.

Hundreds of people celebrated in the streets of the capital, Freetown, when the Sierra Leone representative for the World Health Organization (WHO), declared the end of the Ebola outbreak.

A country must go 42 days – equal to two 21-day incubation periods – without an Ebola case in order for WHO to declare it free of Ebola transmission. It is a benchmark that neighboring Liberia reached in May only to then experience a brief reappearance of cases before it was declared Ebola-free again in September.

Sierra Leone now enters a 90-day intensive surveillance period.

“We have prevailed over an evil virus. We persevered and we have overcome. We must not let down our guard,” said Sierra Leone President Ernest Bai Koroma.

Dead bodies will continue to be swabbed and safe burials will continue for all suspicious cases, he said, adding that they will retain adequate laboratory capacity for tests. He said he is asking parliament to lift a state of emergency.

Guinea, where the epidemic began, now remains the only country struggling to rid itself of the disease. The WHO has recorded 7 new cases in neighboring Guinea in the past 21 days.

The WHO, which will maintain staff in Sierra Leone, has been criticized for its response to the outbreak, as weak leadership, shoddy supplies and infighting worsened the battle against the disease.

Source: Associated Press