Medical officials revealed on Monday that the last known Ebola patient in Syria has been released from the hospital. A six-week countdown has started before the officials can finally announce to the world that the West African country is free of the virus.
Reuters Health reported that the patient, 38-year-old Memunatu Kalokoh was discharged last Friday. This was confirmed by Col. Sahr Foday, the head of the Sierra Leone Army Medical Unit where the patient was being treated.
Kalokoh's case was an interesting one. Last month, when the World Health Organization declared the region free of Ebola virus, a young 21 year old student, Mariatu Jalloh died. The case socked the country and led to a search for people who might have come into contact with Jalloh and therefore, contracted the virus. Kalokoh is Jalloh's aunt and was actively caring for her when she got sick.
Now that Kalokoh is declared treated, Health ministry spokesperson Sidi Yahyah Tunis claimed the country is once again waiting for 42 days for any new cases to emerge. If there will be none, then they can officially announce the country as being free of the deadly virus. Waiting for 42 days is necessary because this number represents twice the length of the Ebola virus' incubation time.
Sierra Leone would have been the first country to be free of the virus had Jalloh's case did not emerge. When Jalloh died, there were intense fears of a new upsurge. Health officials also said that the necessary procedures to contain the virus were not implemented in her case.
This is why all of the people who came into contact with Jalloh were asked to come forward.A dozen more remains missing to this date, some wary of coming out for they do not trust the authorities. "There will be no punitive action against them and we will treat them if they are sick," Tunis now assured.
Even if the country is declared free of virus, the WHO said that there is likely to be a new case in the future. International efforts to stamp out the virus as a result, remain steadfast and continuous. The virus already killed 11,300 people for the past two years. Most of the casualties were in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Guinea.