Sierra Leone is now free from the Ebola outbreak. The people of Sierra Leone greeted the news with cheering and dancing in the streets. Now, the only country in West Africa where the outbreak is still active is Guinea.
The outbreak has killed more than 11,000 mostly in West Africa since late 2013, with nearly 4,000 of them being residents of Sierra Leone.
Forty-two days have passed since Sierra Leone's last confirmed Ebola patient was discharged from the hospital, with that person having two consecutive negative test results. A country must go 42 days, which is twice the length of the known incubation period for the virus, without an Ebola case in order for the World Health Organization to declare it free of Ebola transmission.
"WHO commends the government and people of Sierra Leone for the significant achievement of ending this Ebola outbreak," said Anders Nordstrom, Sierra Leone's representative for WHO.
"We have prevailed over an evil virus. We persevered and we have overcome. We must not let down our guard," said President Ernest Bai Koroma, president of Sierra Leone. He will ask the country's parliament to lift a state of emergency.
Liberia was declared free of Ebola transmission in May but then had a brief reappearance of cases before it was declared Ebola-free again in September. WHO will keep a close watch on Sierra Leone for the next 90 days. Public health measures such as safe burial practices will continue.
Guinea, where the epidemic began, now remains the only country still to stop the disease. There have been seven confirmed new cases in Guinea in the past 21 days.
Survivors are still suffering even though they have recovered from their initial disease. Many have joint pain and ear and eye problems that keep them from going back to their jobs.
