WHO declares Guinea Ebola free

World Health Organization (WHO), a UN health agency has declared Guinea Ebola-free after no new cases were reported. Now the country enters into 90-day period of heightened surveillance of WHO.
In Guinea, the deadly disease had killed more than 2,500 people and had completely shattered country’s economy and country’s health and education sectors.
Criteria for declaring a nation Ebola-free
WHO can declare a country Ebola free after no new cases are reported from human-to-human transmission over two incubation periods of virus i.e. 21 days. Earlier, WHO had declared Liberia Ebola-free in September 2015 and was followed by Sierra Leone in November 2015.
Ebola outbreak
Guinea was birthplace of deadliest Ebola outbreak in history and was initially centred on country’s remote south-eastern region of Nzerekore in 2013. Later it had spread to its neighbouring countries Liberia and Sierra Leone and also seven other countries. After it began in 2013 it has killed more than 11,300 people in these three worst hit western African nations. Liberia with 4809 deaths was worst hit among these three western African nations in this deadly outbreak.

Month: Current Affairs - December, 2015