Sierra Leone had been declared free of the virus on November 7.
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A day after World Health Organization declaired West Africa free from Ebola virus, news surfaced about a dead in Sierra Leone from the deadly virus.
Liberia was first to be declared free of human-to-human Ebola transmission in May, only to see the virus resurface six weeks later.
On declaring the end of the epidemic on Thursday – Dr Bruce Aylward, WHO Special Representative for the Ebola Response said: ‘The risk of re-introduction of infection is diminishing as the virus gradually clears from the survivor population, but we still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them.
The WHO makes its “Ebola-free” declarations after no cases are reported in a period of 42 days – twice the deadly virus’ incubation cycle of 21 days.
The World Health Organisation warned on Thursday that despite there being no known transmissions of the disease in over two months, there could still cases of the disease in the region.
At its peak, it devastated Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with bodies piling up in the streets and overwhelmed hospitals recording hundreds of new cases a week. The news effectively means that the West African Ebola outbreak is now over.
Liberia, the country worst hit by the outbreak with 4,800 deaths, discharged its last two patients from hospital – the father and younger brother of a 15-year-old victim – on December 3, 2015.
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The WHO say 10 of the flare-ups that have occurred were not part of the original outbreak and were likely a result of Ebola persisting in survivors who have recovered. Countries are then placed on a 90-day heightened surveillance. The WHO said Thursday that Ebola can “in rare instances be transmitted to intimate partners”.
