Meanwhile, World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim issued the following statement on yesterday’s announcement declaring the end of Ebola transmission in Liberia, which marked the first time since the start of the epidemic that Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone have all reported no cases for at least 42 days.
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Liberia was previously declared Ebola-free in May, but the virus soon flared up twice more.
Nearly all the victims were in Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia, but all three countries had been declared free of the virus: Sierra Leone on November 7, Guinea late a year ago, and Liberia on Thursday.
The U.N. secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, said Wednesday that the Ebola outbreak in West Africa had been “a fundamental test” of the world’s ability to come together to stanch the pandemic.
And while celebrations are taking place across the world now that the outbreak is over, concerns remain that new cases could emerge. “This will assist EVD survivors to reintegrate into family and community life, reduce stigma and minimize the risk of Ebola virus transmission”, he said.
“We could have a recurrence if we don’t do those things that we need to do”, said Follay Gallah, an ambulance driver who contracted the disease in 2014.
“We still anticipate more flare-ups and must be prepared for them”.
Although the Ebola outbreak has been officially declared over, it’s important to remember that the toll the virus has taken on the population of these countries is not.
Sierra Leone beat back the disease in November of previous year, followed by Guinea in December.
“The Ministry of Health and Sanitation has dispatched a team supported by global partners to investigate the suspected death and its circumstances”, it said in a note sent to health officials seen by Reuters. According to Unicef, roughly 23,000 children in the three affected countries lost their parents or caregivers to the Ebola virus, while another 1,260 children, who were lucky enough to survive being infected with Ebola, will likely endure a lifetime of problems, both medical and personal.
Members of Samaritan’s Purse work amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in Liberia.
West Africa has been declared Ebola-free after no one tested positive in the last 42 days, but health officials are still concerned about flare-ups.
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He warned that the virus may persist in some of the body fluids of small number of recovered individuals for prolong periods and may be transmitted through intimate contact, including through unprotected sex.
