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WHO declares Sierra Leone free of Ebola virus transmission
It has been more than 42 days since Sierra Leone’s last case with Ebola virus disease received a second negative blood test, leading WHO to declare the country free of new transmissions in a recent statement.
On Nov. 7, WHO commended the strong leadership of Sierra Leone’s government and the collaboration of international partners in providing resources and medical expertise.
“The use of rapid response teams and strong community involvement became the cornerstone of the national response strategy,” the organization wrote in the release. “International partners supported the government to maintain a rapid response capacity to detect, identify and shut down any new transmission chains, and also contributed technical assistance, personnel, food, supplies and equipment.”
Since the Ebola outbreak in May 2014, there were 8,704 cases and 3,589 deaths reported within the country, Anders Nordström, MD, former acting director-general of WHO and current WHO representative in Sierra Leone, said in the release. The country is now in a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance, and according to the statement, will continue to receive personnel and surveillance support from WHO until Feb. 5.
“We now have a unique opportunity to support Sierra Leone to build a strong and resilient public health system ready to detect and respond to the next outbreak of disease, or any other public health threat,” Nordström said.
As of Nov. 9, there have been 11,314 confirmed deaths and 28,607 reported cases worldwide of Ebola virus disease, according to WHO.