World Health Organization To Declare West Africa Ebola-Free; Monitoring Will Still Continue To Avoid Future Flare-ups
The Ebola virus epidemic that killed more than 11,000 people in West Africa will be declared "over" by the United Nations and the World Health Organization (WHO), Time reported Thursday.
On Nov. 7 last year, Sierra Leone announced the end of the deadly epidemic. Guinea, on the other hand, was declared Ebola-free on Dec. 29 of the same year.
Liberia, another country that was severely affected, is slated to announce the end of the Ebola transmission on Jan. 14. According to the report, the country has never reported Ebola transmission cases for 42 consecutive days and the people were tested negative of infection. Despite the declaration the country will nevertheless have to be subjected to heightened surveillance measures to ensure that there will be no more flare-ups later on.
Liberia's Chief Medical Officer Francis Karteh said they will take the necessary precautionary measures and continues the campaign for an Ebola-free country so that future reoccurrences will be prevented.
In a press release, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon said while they anticipate a possible outbreak in the future, they also expect a decrease in the frequency of such indicdents over time.
" The governments will need resources to help communities prevent infection, detect potential cases and respond rapidly and effectively," Ban said.
the Secretary-General also acknowledged the "decisive leadership" of the presidents and national authorities, the courage of the health workers and burial teams and the collective engagement of the communities of the three countries for their efforts in countering the stigma brought by Ebola.
"The end of Ebola transmission in West Africa is a testament to what we can achieve when multilateralism works as it should, bringing the international community to work alongside national governments in caring for their people," Ban added.
The Ebola virus reportedly infected more than 28,000 individuals in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.