WHO declares West African Ebola outbreak over

GENEVA

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an end to the two-year Ebola outbreak which has claimed over 11,000 lives across West Africa.

Liberia was the last country in the region to be declared Ebola-free Thursday.

"The World Health Organization cautions that the three countries [Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone] remain at high risk of additional small outbreaks of Ebola, like the most recent one in Liberia," the WHO said on Thursday.

“We are now at a critical period in the Ebola epidemic as we move from managing cases and patients to managing the residual risk of new infections,” Dr. Bruce Aylward, WHO’s Special Representative for Ebola Response, added.

Meanwhile, Liberians took sober reflections of the country’s darkest days after WHO declared their country free from the disease again.

Liberian Deputy Health Minister Dr. Francis Kateh told Anadolu Agency in Monrovia on Thursday that investors should take note that WHO had now declared the country Ebola-free for the third time.

Kateh said Ebola had caused panic in the region, which impacted not just individuals, but also Liberia’s economy and even ships were stopped from coming to his country.
“We can now be rest assured that as long as we continuously contain Ebola whenever it erupts, that is going to change everything, in terms of healthcare and the economy,” he said.

David Farhat, a professor at the University of Liberia, noted that Ebola had scared investors away; banks and other businesses also lost revenue.

“The returns of experts and investors may not be sudden, it will take time … but as time goes we know it will get better,” Farhat said.
Liberia was first declared free of Ebola transmission in May 2015, but the virus was re-introduced twice since then, with the latest flare-up in November.

It is the first time since the start of the Ebola epidemic about two years ago that all three of the hardest-hit countries - Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone - have reported zero cases for at least 42 days.

Sierra Leone was declared free of Ebola transmission on Nov. 7 2015 and Guinea on Dec. 29.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned Wednesday that the fight against Ebola was far from over and future flare-ups of the disease in the coming year could be anticipated.

"Governments will need resources to help communities prevent infection, detect potential cases and respond rapidly and effectively," Ban Ki-moon added.

“Detecting and breaking every chain of transmission has been a monumental achievement,” WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said in a statement.

The Ebola epidemic claimed the lives of 11,315 people and infected over 28,500.

(Kpadeh Evelyn contributed to this report from Liberia)