The World Health Organization declares that Guinea is now free of the disease, two years after it made its appearance there, triggering a global panic. The disease killed over 11,000 people in that country and in Liberia and Sierra Leone. Liberia was declared disease-free in September while Sierra Leone was cleared in November.
This success in ending this frightening disease has to be attributed to courageous health workers many of whom died while treating the sick. Authorities are continuing to urge vigilance because Ebola has been beaten before only to have cases recur so public health authorities are urging continued vigilance.
A country is considered free of human-to-human transmission once two 21-day incubation periods have passed since the last known case tested negative for a second time.
“It’s the best year-end present that God could give to Guinea, and the best news that Guineans could hope for,” Ebola survivor Alama Kambou Dore told AFP news agency.
Local health workers echoed a warning from the WHO that vigilance was still vital despite the mood of celebration.
“We have to be very careful, because even if open transmission has been stopped, the disease has not been totally defeated,” said Alpha Seny Souhmah, a Guinean health worker and Ebola survivor.
You can see a timeline of the disease.
It is hard to imagine that just a short while ago in the US, some politicians like Chris Christie were freaking out over the threat and taking extreme measures such as isolating Doctors Without Borders nurse Kati Hickox in a plastic tent even though she had tested negative for the disease. She is now suing him for violating her constitutional rights.
I don’t see how they can “end” ebola; doesn’t it appear to reside in some other reservoir when it’s not in the human population (like swine flu, marburg, hanta, etc) So it’s going to always come back unless the entire reservoir species is wiped out, right?
Marcus: Yes, unless we develop an effective vaccine. It’s hard to know if the vaccine is effective if the disease is decreasing anyway due to other measures, but there are a couple that seem promising. Here’s one: http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/strive/qa.html
@Johnny Vector #2: Ah, I didn’t realize they were working on a vaccine! That is awesome!
It’s not the end of Ebola, but it is the end of this outbreak. Tremendous kudos to the courageous health workers in the affected region.
“It’s the best year-end present that God could give to Guinea”
Once again credit is given to the wrong thing.
re busterggi@5
And completely exhonerates God for 11,000+ dead. I never have understood that thinking. Of course that’s why I’m an atheist and they’re not.
Sand people … they will be back … and in greater numbers.
Great news -- seconding what #4 DonDueed wrote here. Many of those courageous doctors and nurses lost their lives in the struggle against the pandemic too. Their sacrifice and bravery and efforts should be remembered and respected and honoured.
Hopefully, there’ll still be work done that eventually succeeds in finding the reservoir of ebola and related viruses like Marburg and a successful vaccine or three against them.