ABUJA: The World Health Organization declared on Monday that Africa's most populous nation Nigeria is free of Ebola, a rare victory in the months-long battle against the fatal disease, but warned that it remained vulnerable as long as the virus was raging elsewhere in west Africa.
Nigeria's containment of the lethal disease is a "spectacular success story," WHO country director Rui Gama Vaz told a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Nigeria reported 20 cases of Ebola, including eight deaths. One of those who died was an airline passenger who brought Ebola to Nigeria and died soon after.
The country representative of the World Health Organization, Rui Gama Vaz, said 42 days -- or two incubation periods of 21 days -- had elapsed without any new confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
Nigeria's containment of the lethal disease is a "spectacular success story," WHO country director Rui Gama Vaz told a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria's capital. Nigeria reported 20 cases of Ebola, including eight deaths. One of those who died was an airline passenger who brought Ebola to Nigeria and died soon after.
The country representative of the World Health Organization, Rui Gama Vaz, said 42 days -- or two incubation periods of 21 days -- had elapsed without any new confirmed cases of the deadly virus.
"The virus is gone for now. The outbreak in Nigeria has been defeated," he told a news conference in Abuja alongside the country's health minister and survivors of the disease. "This is a spectacular success story that shows to the world that Ebola can be contained."
Nigeria's official Ebola-free status comes after Senegal was given the all-clear on Friday, providing rare good news in the world's worst outbreak of the haemorrhagic fever.
"Therefore there is need to continue to work together with states to ensure adequate preparedness to rapidly respond, in case of any potential re-importation," he said.
Senegal had one confirmed case, while Nigeria saw seven deaths from 19 confirmed cases according to latest WHO figures.
Both countries are now coming under close scrutiny as public health specialists around the world look to contain the spread of the disease after cases in Spain and the United States.
The WHO said developing countries and wealthier nations concerned about Ebola "may have something to learn" from the response of Nigeria and Senegal.
"We must be clear that we only won a battle. The war will only end when west Africa is also declared free of Ebola," he added.
"While the outbreak is now officially over, Nigeria's geographical position and extensive borders makes the country vulnerable to additional imported cases of Ebola virus disease."
"Therefore there is need to continue to work together with states to ensure adequate preparedness to rapidly respond, in case of any potential re-importation," he said.
Health officials reached every single known person to have contact with infected people in Lagos and 99.8 percent in Port Harcourt, Nigeria's oil capital where the disease was carried by an infected Nigerian diplomat.
With 18,500 visits to 894 contacts, health workers tracked the progress of all who had come in contact with the disease.
More than 4,500 people have died this year and nearly 10,000 have been infected, most of them in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone.-AFP
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