The World Health Organization announced on Thursday that 42 days have passed since the last person confirmed to have Ebola virus disease in Sierra Leone tested negative for a second time.
“Today marks another milestone in the country’s effort to defeat Ebola,” the WHO said. “WHO commends Sierra Leone’s government, partners and people on the effective and swift response to this latest outbreak. From nurses, vaccinators and social mobilizers to contact tracers, counselors and community leaders, Sierra Leoneans in affected districts mobilized quickly and their involvement and dedication was instrumental and impactful.”
Forty-two days is the equivalent of two incubation cycles of the virus, meaning that the at the very least, the ability of officials and community members to fight the Ebola virus has increased dramatically since the outbreak’s peak in 2014.
“The rapid containment of the flare-up was also a real-time demonstration of the increased capacity at the national, district and community level to respond to Ebola outbreaks and other health emergencies and mitigate their impact,” the WHO said. “Investments made in rapid response teams, surveillance, lab diagnostics, risk communication, infection prevention and control measures and other programs were put to the test and clearly paid off.”
Despite the positive news, the WHO remains cautious about the implications of the Ebola virus and the long term health of the effected populations in Western Africa.
“However, WHO continues to stress that Sierra Leone, as well as Liberia and Guinea, are still at risk of Ebola flare-ups, largely due to virus persistence in some survivors, and must remain on high alert and ready to respond,” the WHO said.