The World Health Organisation on Tuesday declared the end of the Ebola outbreak in the West African nation of Guinea, two years after the beginning of the epidemic.
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The Ebola outbreak has killed more than 11,000 people and sickened more than 28,000 others in 10 countries around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.
Sierra Leone officially ended its endemic in November 2015 while Liberia is set to be declared Ebola free in January 2015. Another WHO officials told Reuters, “The time-limited persistence of virus in survivors which may give rise to new Ebola flares in 2016 makes it imperative that partners continue to support these countries”. The country was declared Ebola free in May and September, but each time new cases emerged. The most recent H5N6 case in China was reported in July.
The fight against Ebola was particularly hard in Guinea, he says.
Despite the current high spirits in Guinea, health experts are asking people to remain cautious to prevent the disease from resurfacing, considering Liberia’s struggle to hold the status of being Ebola free.
Local health workers agree with the WHO’s warnings.
They will help with medical care and psychological support, screening for persistent virus, plus provide counseling to help Ebola survivors return to their families and communities, and education to reduce stigma and minimize the risk of spreading the virus.
Among the challenges survivors have faced is that after recovering from Ebola virus disease and clearing the virus from their bloodstream, the virus may persist in the semen of some male survivors for as long as 9-12 months.
The country were Ebola began has been named free of the virus exactly two years after the first death of the endemic, a two-year-old boy from Meliandou.
“The coming months will be absolutely critical”, said Dr Bruce Aylward, the WHO’s special representative for the Ebola response.
“We definitely can not let our guard down”, said Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Many health professionals and residents are still wary; just because the disease has been labeled gone doesn’t mean new cases couldn’t appear.
