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Monrovia – The UN health agency on Saturday declared Liberia Ebola-free, hailing the “monumental” achievement in the west African country where the virus has killed more than 4,700 people.
“The outbreak of Ebola virus disease in Liberia is over,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement, adding that 42 days had passed since the last confirmed case was buried.
That period is double the number of days the virus requires to incubate, and WHO hailed its eradication as an enormous development in the long crisis.
“Interruption of transmission is a monumental achievement for a country that reported the highest number of deaths in the largest, longest, and most complex outbreak since Ebola first emerged in 1976,” it said.
The declaration was a source of both great pride to Liberians who had been stalked by the deadly virus they simultaneously sought to battle.
“We’re out of the woods. We’re Ebola free. Thanks to our partners for standing with us in the fight against Ebola. We’re Liberians,” tweeted Liberian Information Minister Lewis Brown. The news was also cheered by international organisations like the Red Cross, Unicef and Doctors Without Borders (MSF), as well as officials from the US and European Union.
However, hailing the “important marker” White House spokesperson Josh Earnest, in a statement, said: “The world mustn’t forget that the Ebola outbreak still persists in neighbouring Sierra Leone and Guinea.
“We mustn’t let down our guard until the entire region reaches and stays at zero Ebola cases.”
The WHO warned that because the Ebola outbreaks were continuing in neighbouring Guinea and Sierra Leone, the risk remained high that infected people could re-enter the country. — AFP.
Online Reporter