Sierra Leone to be declared Ebola free
Sierra Leone released its last confirmed Ebola patient last Monday and will be declared Ebola-free if no more new cases are found in the next 42 days, according to medical sources.
The last patient was a 35-year-old woman named Adama Sanko. She tested negative for Ebola on two tests, the last one taken a day before she was released. The country celebrated with a ceremony attended by medical staff, Ebola survivors, and even President Ernest Bai Koronexma.
“…Today is without doubt a day for celebration and reflection on the thousands of lives lost during this devastating crisis,” said Sean Casey, regional director for the International Medical Corps West Africa Ebola response.
Sierra Leone had its first case in 2014 and progressed to have the highest number of Ebola cases in the region. The Ebola epidemic plagued West Africa for 18 months. The virus infected more than 28,000 people in West Africa and killed more than a third of the patients.
However, doctors should still be alert since the virus may creep up even after the prescribed period. Neighboring country Liberia was declared Ebola-free last May, only for new cases to appear two months after.
Scientists suspect sexual transmission as the cause for Ebola’s comebacks, since they say that the virus can live on semen beyond the usual 21-day incubation period.
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