Sierra Leone Declared Free of Ebola Transmissions

NEW YORK TIMES by DIONNE SEARCEY and SHERI FINK     Nov. 7, 2015

DAKAR, Senegal — After a nerve-racking countdown, Sierra Leone celebrated a national milestone on Saturday that government officials hoped would help the country finally leave behind a grim chapter in its history: it was officially declared free of Ebola transmissions.

People were released from an Ebola quarantine in the village of Massessehbeh on the outskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone, in August. Credit Sunday Alamba/Associated Press

The World Health Organization made the announcement at an official ceremony in Freetown after the nation had passed 42 days, or two incubation periods for the virus, without an Ebola case.

The news marks a joyous but tense moment in Sierra Leone where Ebola has crippled the nation’s economy and officials worry the virus could re-emerge at any moment. ....Sierra Leone will now begin a 90-day period of enhanced surveillance that will run until February 5 in hopes of quickly detecting any new possible cases.

Read complete story.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/world/africa/sierra-leone-declared-free-of-ebola-transmissions.html?ref=world