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One Year On…Bye Bye Ebola!

It’s been one year since Ebola broke out in West Africa and terrified the world! Twelve months ago many tourists wouldn’t venture near Africa…even to countries thousands of miles away like Kenya in the east and South Africa (in the south) for fear of contracting the illness. But one year on, and thanks to strong […]

It’s been one year since Ebola broke out in West Africa and terrified the world! Twelve months ago many tourists wouldn’t venture near Africa…even to countries thousands of miles away like Kenya in the east and South Africa (in the south) for fear of contracting the illness.

But one year on, and thanks to strong leadership, West Africa is starting to celebrate the absence of Ebola (and tourists have become a little more informed in their geographical knowledge!).

Sierra Leone was so excited to be declared Ebola-free on 6 November that a music video  celebrating the end of the Ebola outbreak – called ‘Bye Bye Ebola’ by rapper Block Jones – has received over 43,000 views and become a hit worldwide, with the BBC reporting on its “twerking policemen and dancing health workers”.

In a report on their website, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said that while last year “many feared that the Ebola virus was the pathogen that would overwhelm humanity”, this has been replaced by “confidence that strong leadership, adaptation of the response to cultures and environments and innovation have turned the tide.”

Liberia, Sierra Leone and (as of yesterday) Guinea are now all Ebola-free! According to WHO, Liberia and Sierra Leone have now officially interrupted transmission of the virus, and Guinea will also be officially declared Ebola free if no new cases are reported in the next six weeks.

Latest Ebola Stats
Source: WHO

Doctors without Borders (Medicins Sans Frontieres) reported yesterday on Facebook that it had “fantastic news from Guinea today as 21-day-old Nubia, the country’s last Ebola patient, tests negative for the virus.”

Nubia had become infected in her mother’s womb and became the last reported Ebola case on 29 October. Her mom, Mamasta, sadly died from the virus a fortnight ago.

Laurence Sailly, MSF emergency coordinator in Guinea, said: “Nubia has responded well to the treatment she received at the MSF Ebola management centre in Conakry. We are pleased that she has been tested negative, but as she is the first infected baby to have recovered, she will continue to receive specialised medical support before going home.”

Guinea now begins its 42-day countdown before it can be officially declared Ebola-free. Sailly said it’s important to “remain vigilant” for new cases to ensure this is achieved. (See full message below.)

WHO says robust surveillance measures have been put in place in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to enable health workers and members of the public to report any case of illness or death that they suspect may be related to EVD (Ebola Virus Disease).

WHO reports Ebola’s latest stats as being: 0 new cases reported in the week of 15 November 2015; 28,634 cases of Ebola virus disease and 11,314 deaths as of 15 November in the last year; and WHO has trained 7,000 experts in clinical management, infection prevention and control.

Doctors without Borders’ Message on Instagram

Great news from Guinea as 21-day-old Nubia tests negative for Ebola. She became infected in her mother’s womb. Mamasta, her mother, sadly died from the virus 12 days ago. “Nubia has responded well to the treatment she received at the MSF Ebola management centre in Conakry. We are pleased that she has been tested negative, but as she is the first infected baby to have recovered, she will continue to receive specialised medical support before going home. Guinea has begun a 42-day countdown after which the epidemic will be declared officially over, provided that no new cases are reported until then. The government and the communities have worked hard with us to arrive at this result. We must still remain vigilant for any potential new cases so that our achievements will not be destroyed,” says Laurence Sailly, MSF emergency coordinator in Guinea. © @samuel_aranda13 #Ebola #Guinea #MSF

A photo posted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) (@doctorswithoutborders) on